In Between
by TombRaiderNinja
Summary: Cole Brookstone, is dead. Trapped between worlds. Robbed of his memories. Jay Walker, is just beginning his career in the Ninjago Police Department. Seaching for stability. Fighting for independence. As Jay's life and Cole's death continues to intertwine, they uncover the mystery behind Cole's murder, and find a far more sinister plot lurking underneath. Ninjago AU.
1. Murderous routine

Chapter One - Murderous Routine

Cole Brookstone was dead.

He had no recollection of his past life. No idea of any friends, family, or anyone who might've cared about his whereabouts. All he had was his name, and a vague memory of how the world worked.

Cole knew he was a ghost because no physical object was an obstacle for him. He also knew he was a ghost because people mostly ignored his presence, and when they didn't, they'd simply scream. No one stayed in his apartment very long.

It became his hobby to try and see how long it would take for him to get rid of any new tenants. As the days blended into months, he learned more and more about the abilities being a ghost had brought him.

But the longer he stayed, the smaller the apartment felt.

It began to suffocate him, and yet, he was too afraid to venture out of his comfort zone. He knew nothing of who he was, and nothing of what lay outside his apartment. A simple mistake could cause him to be erased from existence.

Luckily for him, things were about to change.

* * *

Jay Walker was dead.

Dead tired, that is. His muscles ached from exhaustion, and his head throbbed with persistent waves of pain. It was the third time he'd taken the test to be a detective and join the NPD. Getting the letter of acceptance had been a joy, getting kicked out of his previous home, was not.

It wasn't his fault really. He was a good tenant. He returned home at reasonable hours, and he never ever received any noise complaints.

But money was hard to come by, when all you did was train. Sure, he could easily return to his parent's. They'd accept him with open arms. And of course there would be plenty of space in that junkyard of theirs. There always was.

Jay shuddered, as he was almost able to hear their voices in his head.

"Oh sweetie! You're back! We've missed you so!" His mother would say, pulling him into a tight embrace. Too tight, for that matter. He could almost feel his two dollar lunch climbing its way back up as she continued to squeeze his guts.

"You, you've no need to move on out from here. Here's home, and always will be." His father would say, smiling that big, rather contagious smile of his.

Wiping a couple of drops of sweat from his forehead, Jay erased the images from his head. He had to focus. Looking back down at the map in his hand, he squinted ahead, trying to spot the name of the street.

 _Grim Avenue_.

 _How promising,_ Jay chuckled to himself, turning right, as the map indicated. Hopefully, this new place would work. It wasn't too far from his new job, the thought of which made Jay flash a smile, and he'd be able to _pay_ the rent this time.

"1310, 1311, and. . . 1312. Nice. One number away from the unluckiest of them all. Everything is _such_ a good omen today." The blue eyed man studied the building before him. It was made up of four floors, and it had no indication of being anything other than abandoned.

Shrugging, he pushed the door open.

"Can't be worse than living on the streets," Jay whispered to himself, walking up to what seemed to be a help desk. It was empty, except for a dying rose and a small silver bell. The edge of it was rusted, and it was so full of dust Jay could see no more than a distorted reflection of himself.

The hall's light flickered, then dimmed, causing the atmosphere around him to become even more foreboding than it already was. Mastering up every bit of courage, Jay rang the bell.

 _Ding!_

At first, there was nothing. Jay thought about giving the bell a second ring, when he heard a bit of shuffling behind the desk. However, there was still no one in his sights. Frowning, Jay stopped his senses from becoming irrational.

 _This place isn't haunted. Maybe. . . Maybe there's someone hiding under the desk._

He didn't think that was true, but seconds later, a small blonde head peeked out from beneath. A very small boy of about 9 or 10 years old climbed up on the dusty rolling chair, then looked up at Jay. When the man didn't say anything, the boy rolled his eyes.

"Yes, hi can I help you? I'm very busy you know." The boy crossed his arms, waiting.

"Um," Jay scratched the back of his head, not sure how to react. When the kid's attitude didn't seem to change, he gave in. "I'm looking to rent. I saw an advertisement. . . I have a bit of cash with me, and I'd really appreciate it if-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The kid rolled his eyes once more. "You need a place to sleep."

Jay cleared his throat, wondering why he felt so intimidated by a child. "Yes."

" _Well_ , let's see, let's see." The kid opened some of the drawers, rummaging through the papers. "Ah ha! Room 5 seems to be empty. No surprise there."

"What do you mean?"

"No one stays there long. Ever. There's a _ghost_." The young boy smiled, his eyes shining with mischief.

"A. . . Ghost?"

The kid nodded vigorously. "Oh yes. I've heard him moving around. I've heard he was an evil man, and he waits there, watching out for the perfect opportunity to drag people to the underworld with him. I bet you-"

" _Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon!_ " A woman's voice rang from the opposite end of the hall. Jay's heart jolted, and his whole body swiveled to face the lady. The small child dropped back under the desk. "What have I told you about scaring the guests?"

Lloyd was silent.

The woman shook her head, turning her attention back towards Jay. She held out her hand. "I apologize about that. I'm Misako. Your name?"

"Jay," the man responded, his eyebrows lightly rising at the force in which the woman shook his hand.

"Well, Jay, let's get you set up." The woman went behind the desk, doing her best to ignore the child. She retrieve a couple of papers from the drawers, and Jay couldn't help but read ' _Room 5'_ in more than half.

He felt a cold chill travel down his spine. He really hoped the kid had been lying.

* * *

Cole lay on the ground in the middle of the room, sighing and staring up at the cracked ceiling.

"If I wasn't dead already, I'd die of boredom." He groaned, rolling over on the ground. The ghost began to play with the dust around him, twirling it between his fingers, writing his name on the dirtied floorboards.

"Cole."

He read his name aloud, the sound of it sending a tug of heartache in his once existent chest. Having only a name and nothing else made him feel empty. He tried not to think about the issue much. But what else was there to do?

The floorboards creaked. The door swung open. Cole bolted up into a standing position, turning his faint body fully invisible, in case whoever was wondering in would have the ability to see ghosts. Seeing things float in midair with nothing holding them up tended to have a bit more of an effect.

". . . Thank you, I will. Yes. Thank you."

Cole walked closer, getting a better look at his new victim. It had been an awfully long time since he'd seen anyone else. The man had wild, auburn hair which looked as if it was in desperate need for a wash. Freckles were sprinkled across his face, and there were dark circles under his bright blue eyes. A tired smile was plastered upon his face.

The man waved good-bye to someone outside of the apartment, then shut the door. The smile he'd been sporting vanished. After allowing his luggage to drop on the ground, the man followed suit, leaning back against the dirty door.

"Well Jay, you've got a roof above your head, and a job to go to in the morning. Can't complain."

Jay then. Cole committed the name to memory.

"Before I can do any celebrating, I think I need a _shower_." Lifting his left arm, Jay took a quick sniff at his armpit. He grimaced. "Yup. Definitely need a shower."

As Jay got up to wander into the bathroom, Cole smiled.

 _Let the games begin._

* * *

Once inside the bathroom, Jay ditched his sweaty clothes, and started the shower. When he was satisfied with the water's temperature, he stepped inside, immediately relaxing. For now, he had this. He'd be starting his new job tomorrow. Things were looking up.

"Positive thinking," Jay chuckled, running his hands through his hair.

Seconds later, the lights flickered, then snapped Jay into a thick darkness.

The man froze, his heart suddenly hammering against his chest. He tried to laugh, but only a whimper escaped his lips. Jay reached towards the wall, slowly feeling his way down until he was able to shut off the water.

An eerie silence fell around him.

"The light's just a little funky, Jay." He told himself. "Nothing out of the ordinary. This isn't a five-star hotel."

After a couple of fearful breaths, Jay stepped out of the shower, feeling his way to the light switch. He flicked the light on, eyes closed, his muscles finally relaxing as he felt light shine against his eyelids. "Nothing to worry about. Nothing at- Ahh!"

The man jumped back, smacking the back of his head against the wall. He stared straight ahead, where the letters _Boo!_ Had been scribbled upon the foggy mirror. Jay's breathing quickened, as fear continued to press down upon his chest.

"There's no ghosts here," He said, voice shaking with uncertainty. He stepped forward, wiping away the words with his forearm. "Ghosts aren't _real_."

Jay finished his shower as quickly as he could, muttering the reassuring sentences over and over. The kid couldn't have been telling the truth. There wasn't a ghost here. There _couldn't_ be a ghost here. Not when everything was finally working out.

Once dressed, Jay headed over to the empty room. There was only a small bed, pushed against the corner. The mattress was dirty and bare, and moonlight swept in from the tattered curtains. Sighing, Jay plopped down onto it, causing a very loud, very uncomfortable creaking sound to echo throughout his small apartment.

It took more than a couple of minutes of tossing and turning before he finally settled in a position that proved to be the least uncomfortable. A weird scrapping sound came in from the living room, but Jay forced his eyes shut.

"Ghosts aren't real."

The scrapping continued.

Muttering the phrase over and over, Jay finally reached a state that resembled sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cole continued to push Jay's luggage back and forth across the wooden floor, hoping to get his attention. The man had been scared rather easily, and Cole hoped to break his record. Once, he'd managed to get rid of a family in three days.

He hoped Jay would give up before tomorrow night.

After a while, he decided moving the luggage around was futile. Cole sat on the floor, leaning back against the wall. Soft whispers slid out from the man's room, and Cole wondered if he was still trying to convince himself that ghosts didn't exist.

"Tough luck buddy," He chuckled. "I'm as real as it gets."


	2. Papers and Death

Chapter Two - Papers and Death

" _Officer Walker_."

The violent hiss snapped Jay's attention back into place. His eyelids felt heavy, and every movement was more than an effort. He shook his head, walking his memory down to the present. He hadn't quite gotten any sleep the night before. By the time he'd drifted off, his alarm began to scream in his ears, forcing him to get up.

He'd changed, walking the two blocks to the police station. Except he'd ended up walking about five more blocks than he'd needed to, thanks to his disoriented mind. Once inside the station, he'd been herded into a room with a dozen other people, all of them with a sense of purpose that Jay severely lacked.

They'd sat down, waited for the chief, bickered and snickered with one another. Jay had chosen a seat near the back, leaning against the palm of his hand, and allowing himself to close his eyes, just for a moment.

Or so he'd thought.

Chief Garmadon was standing before him, a menacing look in his eyes. Jay smiled sheepishly, slowly sitting up and fixing his uniform. After a few snickers from his comrades, Jay wiped away the bit of drool that had escaped his lips.

With a heavy blush on his cheeks, the man cleared his throat. "Yes. . . sir?"

"I don't recall _sleeping_ being part of the job, Officer Walker."

"Well, I didn't sleep very well last night," Jay said, trying to excuse himself. He'd broken contact with Chief Garmadon's eyes, and had decided to stare at the empty table before him instead. It was far less terrifying.

"What a pity," the chief said, without any sort of sympathy in his voice. The snickers continued. "Rest _is_ important."

Jay allowed his eyes to venture up, a flare of hope lighting his blue eyes. Maybe the chief wasn't _so_ bad.

"I guess the best thing to do, is send you downstairs. To the records room. Doing paper work always _does_ wake me right up." Chief Garmadon smirked, leaning down, face inches away from Jay's own. "I'd hurry if I was you. There's plenty of work to be done."

Jay opened his mouth, then closed it again, trying to make sense of what had just occurred. Paperwork did _not_ seem like a good thing to do when you were tired. Quite the opposite. It almost sounded like a punish-

Oh.

"Well, go on. _We_ don't have all day, kid," a man with a rather impressive mustache said, motioning towards the door. Feeling all eyes glued upon him, Jay pushed back his chair, slowly standing. He opened his mouth again, frowning, trying to come up with something clever to say in order to defend himself.

It took only one look at Chief Garmadon to change his mind.

Moving as fast as possible, Jay went to the door. He headed out, hearing only a bit of the chief's words before he was out in the hall.

"As you know, another murder occurred. Just outside the city, a teacher by the name of- "

The door shut.

"Records room, records room," Jay muttered in a sing song voice, trying to keep focused. His eyelids were heavier now than they had been before, and his muscles were weighed down by exhaustion.

 _What a wonderful first day at work_ , the blue eyed man scowled, as he reached his destination. _At least I'm still getting paid._

The room was almost pitch black. There were only three small lamps littered about, giving the place plenty of shadows to hide in. Shelves were spread out evenly, and a desk sat in the center of it all, with random papers littered about.

 _Not very impressive_ , Jay thought, stepping closer to the desk. He didn't exactly know _what_ he was supposed to do. He'd been trained as a detective, not whatever. . . _this_ was. He knew paperwork would be part of the equation eventually. But he'd been hoping to get some sort of. . . guidance.

He heard a strange shuffle from the back of the room. A shadow moved from one place to the next. Jay's heart skipped a beat.

 _Another murder occurred. . ._

The chief's voice echoed in his head and Jay felt goosebumps travel along his arms. "Hello?"

The shuffling came to a sudden stop. Slowly, the shadow moved towards him, filled with purpose. Jay stepped back reflexively, his eyes widening.

"Why, hello!"

A short, rather skinny man stepped into the light. His clothes fit loosely around his body, white shirt untucked, tie far too short to be fashionable. The man's eyes glinted with a bright purple shade. His hair was dyed white, with a couple of streaks of purple sprinkled here and there.

In conclusion, he was the least menacing man Jay had ever laid eyes upon. _Especially_ after seeing what Chief Garmadon could do with his eyes.

Chuckling at his silly fear, Jay smiled, stepping closer to the desk. "I'm, I'm Jay. The chief sent me down here. I. . . honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to do."

Holding out a rather pale hand, the man smiled at Jay. "Name's Pythor. Pleasure to meet you, Jay. The chief can be rather. . . unpredictable. I'm not what sure what I'm supposed to do with you myself."

Pythor looked around the room, clicking his tongue as he thought of a random job for Jay to do, something that would keep him out of the way of anything _truly_ important. "Well. . . perhaps you could help me out with clearing out the desk here, organizing things by dates, maybe?"

"Yeah, sure." Jay rubbed his eyes, wondering how he would manage to stay awake through such a tedious task. He plopped down on the small chair before the desk, looking at the mountains of papers before him. Jay gulped. "No. . . No problem with that."

"Don't worry if you don't get through too many of them. That's a week's worth of work right there." Pythor smiled one last time before heading back into the shadows of the room, shuffling from shelf to shelf.

Sighing, Jay reached for the first bundle of papers, scanning the writings for a date. Once he found it, he began to make a small pile, trying to stay as organized as possible. It wasn't too long before his eyes were burning, and his mouth made uncontrollable yawns.

With watery eyes, he focused on the new paper upon his hand. _Date, date, date._ He told himself, trying to keep his mind moving.

"Huh," Jay said. "This was yesterday."

 _On September 20_ _th_ _, 2012, at approximately 22:11 a call was received on a disturbance near a domestic home. Upon arriving at the location (Temple of Fire, Tae Kwon Do Academy) signs of struggle were apparent. Two of the three windows had been shattered from the inside, and the lock on the front door had been tampered with._

 _Inside, the victim was found, a thick bruise-_

"Oh no! I must have missed that! The chief ordered for all paperwork on that case to be sent up to him." Jay jolted, the sudden sound of Pythor's voice waking him up more than anything else had. The white haired man snatched the paper from Jay's hands, shoving it inside of one of the cream colored folders that were scattered about.

"I didn't hear about that." Jay said. "What happened?"

"It was all over the news! How could you have missed it?"

Jay chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not. . . not too big into the news. They can be dull to watch."

"Huh," Pythor looked at Jay, an unamused look in his eyes.

"So . . . What _did_ happen?"

"A teacher," Pythor said. "He seemed to have struggled quite a bit. I heard the scene of the crime was quite the mess. Killed in the same way that poor boy was. Four or so months ago, I believe? We have reason to believe it was the same person, although. . . Why wait so long?"

"Right, right." Jay nodded, choosing not to ask which boy he was referring to. He hadn't exactly heard about _that_ either.

"Well be glad the chief brought you to _me_ ," Pythor smiled. "I could imagine the anger you'd stir if you'd told _him_ that you hadn't heard about the murder."

"Yeah," Jay said, absent-mindedly. As Pythor's words settled in, he shook his head. "Wait, anger? Why?"

"The teacher," Pythor said, as he stepped out the door. "Was his brother."

* * *

"And so ends my _perfect_ first day," Jay grumbled as he began his walk back home. "Try to take the _right_ turns this time, Jay, unless you want to add a cherry on top of this cake of bad luck."

The clouds were dark and low, threatening to spill before Jay was safe indoors. A flash of lightning erupted in the distance, accompanied by thunders. _At least it sounds far away_.

He continued to walk, but as he had begun to relax the first drops of water began to hit the ground. In seconds, the light rain had turned into a thick downpour, one Jay could barely see through. He began to run, knowing he only had to make it to the end of the block.

Jay spotted his destination, the lights shining from the windows kept him on track. " _Thank you_ , rain. Now I don't have to shower in that creepy apartment."

The door was close now. Jay pushed it open, a triumphant smirk lighting up his face. It didn't last very long. As soon as he'd stepped in, his momentum filled body crashed against someone, making them both fall back upon the cold floor.

"Hey!" The rough voice said, as the man returned to his feet quicker than Jay expected. "Watch where you. . . _Walker_?"

Wiping the beads of water from his eyes, Jay looked up, recognizing the figure instantly. He returned to his feet, shuddering slightly due to his wet clothes. "Ch-chief. Hi. Hello. I, uh, I'm sorry?"

" _That's_ the man that moved into the haunted apartment dad!" Lloyd shouted, pointing at Jay with a devilish smirk. "I told you he was funny looking!"

" _You_ moved into _that_ apartment?" Chief Garmadon shook his head. "No one's been able to stay long after that murder. Humph. Maybe I'll be rid of you faster than I thought."

 _Murder_ , Jay echoed in his mind, biting back the urge to ask about it. Pythor's advice to watch the news seemed more and more sensible by the second. "You, uh, _live_ here, sir?"

"Come on, Lloyd. I bet dinner's ready." The chief ignored Jay's question, choosing instead to turn towards the kid. Lloyd climbed onto Chief Garmadon's back, small arms wrapped around the chief's neck with a tight grip.

"Ghost in my apartment, my own _boss_ wandering around the halls, what more could I ask for?"

Once inside his apartment, Jay fiddled with his small radio, searching for a news channel to fill the silence. He then rummaged through his unpacked suitcase, searching for something to eat.

" _\- from last night was revealed to have the same strange bruises around his neck as the murder victim from earlier this year."_ Jay found a small cup of noodles, and he gave a small victory cheer. He walked towards the kitchen, setting a small pot of water to boil. " _Many have begun to guess that it is the same killer, and we are left to wonder why the police never bothered to capture the first attacker in the first place._ "

Jay rolled his eyes. This is why he despised the news. Apart from being dull, reporters always found a way to throw blame here and there, as if making people look bad gave them strength. It was ridiculous.

" _Not many details were released about the first murder, as the father of the victim refused to be interviewed, and the cops were, once again, not giving out many details."_ The water began to boil. " _All in all, it seems that Cole Brookstone will never be-"_

"Hey, that's me!"

Jay jumped, almost tipping the pot of near-boiling water towards himself. He swiveled around, his eyes widening as he located the sound of the strange voice.

A ghost stood in his living room, pointing at the radio.

A ghost.

In his living room.

Jay fell back, fear driving away his consciousness.


	3. A Deal With a Dead Man

Chapter 3 - A Deal With a Dead Man

As Jay collapsed, Cole cringed, the sound of the man's head against the floorboards echoing around him. That couldn't have felt good.

He looked back at the radio, but the bits and pieces about him had been delivered. There would be nothing more. An overwhelming emptiness filled him, and he suppressed the urge to scream. All he wanted was his memories. But there was no way for him to recover them.

Or maybe. . .

He glided towards the new tenant, cocking his head to the side. The uniform he wore, was that of a cop. And if Cole knew anything about cops, it was that they solved crimes. Murder was a crime. And if the truth about Cole's death was revealed, his memories would come rushing back. They _had_ to.

But Cole had never talked to anyone other than himself before. Not that he hadn't tried. The first time he woke up as a ghost, all he wanted was some sort of explanation. Some help. Anything really.

So he asked questions. But no one answered. He only received silence or screams in return.

A small sigh escaped Jay, and he rubbed his forehead before opening his eyes. Cole had bent down to get a better look, a sight the rookie detective would have rather _not_ woken up to. Jay crawled backwards, hitting his back on the wall.

The world swam before him, and a heavy pounding in his head kept him glued down on the floor. The ghost gave him space, but Jay still felt suffocated with fear. As the world slowly returned to focus, he realized the apparition before him couldn't have been much older than he was.

"You're a ghost," Jay said, voice shaking. He didn't know why he'd stated the obvious. But then again, he didn't know _what_ else he should say. If he had been able to, Jay would already be halfway out the building. "In my apartment."

The ghost stepped closer. "You need to help me."

Jay closed his eyes. The ghost had _not_ just talked to him. Ghosts weren't real. He counted to ten, willing the ghostly image to disappear. When his eyes opened, the dead man was still there.

"You're still here." Jay stated the obvious once more.

"The radio. It said my name. Cole. Cole Brookstone. You need to help me." Cole moved closer, now standing inches before Jay.

Jay's skin grew even paler, and he pressed his back as far back as he could. Did this ghost know _anything_ about personal space? "Please don't take me to the Underworld."

In any other instance, Cole would have faked an evil laugh, then maybe willed the lights to plummet the apartment into darkness. But not now. Now he needed help. "I haven't even _been_ to the Underworld."

Jay began to smile, but stopped, squinting his eyes at the ghost before him. Sure, Lloyd could have easily been lying about it all, kids tended to do that, but the ghost could be doing the same thing. Evil spirits tended to do that.

"You could be lying," Jay said, and Cole sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Look, you're easy prey. You got pretty freaked out yesterday. If I _wanted_ to hurt you, I could have done it _ages_ ago," the ghost pointed out. "Just. . . hear me out."

Jay weighed his options. On one hand, the ghost really did seem harmless, at least for now. There couldn't be anything wrong with listening. On the other hand, the man was a _ghost_.

"Okay." Jay breathed, slowly standing up, wondering, hoping, that he'd hit his head hard enough to be hallucinating. He still couldn't accept this as anything more than a dream. "Shoot."

"The radio said my name," Cole said. "Cole Brookstone. Does that mean anything to you?"

"Uh," Jay said. "No?"

Cole growled under his breath, and the lights flickered. Jay pressed his back against the wall again. "You're sure? Nothing at all?"

"No," the blue eyed man repeated. "Why? And why _are_ you haunting me?"

"Because it's fun," Cole admitted with a nonchalant shrug. "And I mean, you're not exactly the first one. And it's not like you people leave me any other choice. You're the first one to actually listen."

"I've lost all the memories I had of my life." He continued. "Except my name. The name the radio said. Maybe. . . Maybe if I find out who I am, I'll be able to. . . I don't know. Leave."

Jay tried to backtrack his memories, to the moment he'd switched on the radio. He listened now, hoping the words would jog his memory.

 _Yet another earthquake has struck Ninjago City. Last night's crime scene has been utterly destroyed, as it was the center of this disaster. We still await further news on the number of casualties._

"Maybe you died in one of the earthquakes," Jay suggested, thinking back. This was the third earthquake this year. First, that small town in the outskirts of the city. Then the amusement park. Now this. It wouldn't surprise Jay if Cole had been one of the victims. There surely were plenty of those.

Cole closed his eyes, thinking back. Nothing but darkness sparked up in his mind. "Doesn't ring a bell. Besides, unless there was an earthquake _here_ , I doubt it. I haven't gone anywhere since I woke up dead."

"Then I don't know." Jay threw his arms up in the air. "I'm sorry. I can't help you."

"You're a cop, aren't you?" Cole said. "Find out what happened, and I _promise_ I'll leave you alone."

Jay opened his mouth to protest, but something stopped him. Maybe it was the fact that he really _did_ need a good night's sleep without a ghost banging around. Or maybe he simply remembered he had nowhere else to live.

Or maybe, it was the pleading look in the ghost's eyes that he couldn't ignore.

"So?" Cole raised his eyebrows. "Is it a deal?"

Jay weighed his options. The ghost seemed harmless. This place was his last resort. Besides, freeing a ghost sounded somewhat heroic. He sighed. "This is insane. A deal. With a dead man. Ha."

Cole waited, slowly holding out his vaguely transparent hand.

"Deal," Jay answered, holding out his own hand.

They each shook on it, making their promise a bit more unbreakable. After letting go, Jay moved his hand closer to his eyes, looking to see if the ghost had left any traces of ghost goop on his skin, as the movies sometimes suggested. "How did you do that? I thought ghosts just went through stuff."

"I _can_ ," Cole stated, sticking his hand straight through Jay's stomach. The cop jumped back, hitting his head on the wall. "But I can also choose to do _this_."

He lifted his hand, flicking Jay's forehead. "It all depends on what I focus on."

"Ow," Jay twitched slightly. "That wasn't necessary."

Cole smiled, shrugging. "No, it wasn't."

Shaking his head, Jay walked towards the living room. He flicked the radio off, standing in the middle of the empty space, taking a minute to go through his new reality. Cole waited, studying the person that might, or might not solve all his problems.

"Okay." Jay breathed, nodding his head. The first thing they needed, was more information. And the only way to get more information, was to ask questions to the right people. And the right person was conveniently located in the same building. "We need to find the front desk lady."

" _We_?" Cole asked. "You want _me_ to get out of the apartment?"

"Well, it's your life we're asking about. Why would you _not_ want to come?"

Cole felt a weird sensation in his stomach, something that would pass as queasy if he still had a body to feel such a thing. As Jay opened the door to the apartment, Cole tilted his head, trying to get a better look at the hall.

It wasn't much different. Poorly lit, poorly kept. A bit of dust gathered here and there. Doors that seemed to be an exact copies of each other spread out every few feet. Jay stepped out, raising an eyebrow as the black haired ghost continued to hesitate. "Uh, hello? You having some sort of . . . ghost problem over there?"

Cole forced himself to stepped forward, a mixture of fear and excitement growing around him. As Jay's confusion grew, he took the first step out of the apartment. Nothing happened.

"Nothing happened," he said aloud, still trying to reassure himself.

"Was something supposed to?"

"Guess not."

Shrugging, Jay led the way down to the first floor, skipping down the squeaky steps. Fear of bumping into his boss again flashed within him for a moment, but he ignored it. They were both off duty, right? He couldn't do much.

Jay chuckled. Yeah, right.

As they reached the front desk, they spotted the small kid, crayons spread all around him, as he scribbled furiously upon the white page. Jay cleared his throat. Cole studied the child. Something in his mind tried to click, memories attempting to crawl back, but they didn't.

Lloyd looked up, giving Jay a rather annoyed look. "It's late you know. We close at _five_."

Jay looked down at his watch, realizing he was one hour too late. But the kid was here, which meant the mother would have to show up eventually.

That, or Chief Garmadon.

"I just had a couple of questions. You know. About the people that used to live in my apartment."

Lloyd looked back down at his drawing, picking up another crayon.

"Wow. Impressive detective work. He's a _kid_. And you can't get anything?"

"Look, I'm trying here, it's not like I've done this before." Jay hissed.

"Done _what_ before?" Lloyd asked, looking back towards the man.

"Um. . ." Jay scratched the back of his head. He'd have to remember to _not_ talk to Cole while others where around. Not unless he wanted to look insane. He looked at the kid, who patiently waited for an answer, eyes as curious as ever. Jay's mind sparked up with an idea. "I've never tried to help a ghost before. That little friend on the fifth apartment? He's looking for his memories."

Lloyd's eyes shone. He'd taken the bait. "You've _seen_ him?"

"Yup."

"Were you scared? What does he look like? Did he try to kill you?" Lloyd was standing on the chair now, leaning forward as far as his small body would allow. "Is he using you to help him? Is he _here_?"

"Scared? Beyond scared, kid. You should've seen him collapse." Cole snickered.

Jay resisted the urge to react to the ghost's comment. "Of course I wasn't scared. He isn't scary at all. He's just very lost."

 _And very annoying_ , Jay added in his mind.

"So do you know who lived there before me? It'd help a lot."

Lloyd nodded, a determined look on his face. He gave Jay a brief salute, before hopping off his chair. "Mom will know. Mom remembers _everything_. Wait here."

"So you weren't scared, huh?" Cole smiled, sitting on top of the desk. "I guess you were so _bored_ with my presence that you decided to fall asleep?"

"I wasn't scared," Jay replied, crossing his arms. "Heh. I was. . .slightly startled. That's all."

" _Slightly startled_ he says." The ghost shook his head.

Jay ignored the comment, choosing instead to watch as Lloyd disappeared behind one of the doors. He committed this apartment to memory, swearing to stay as far from it as possible. He would rather not have any more surprise encounters with the chief.

"Do you really think she's going to help?" Cole asked, when the kid took slightly longer than expected.

"I don't know. I mean, I'd hope so. Unless someone else took care of the building while you were living here. That's entirely possible. But if she _did_ work here, she would know you, and if she knows you, she'll know what happened, and problem solved." Jay babbled, surprised at how easy it was to speak with the ghost. He'd been so caught up in trying to stay afloat, he'd forgotten what having _someone_ to talk to felt like. Someone like. . . a friend.

 _Friend with a ghost. Yeah right. Bet this all turns out to be some bizarre dream_.

Cole nodded. "I really hope this works."

Lloyd finally returned, tugging Misako along. Her long braid was a bit disheveled, as if she'd been abruptly awakened from a nap. She rubbed her eyes, taking in Jay with burning questions in her eyes. "My son said. . . Something about a ghost?"

"Way to break the ice, kid," Cole said.

"Uh. . ." Questions fumbled around in Jay's mind, but none actually emerged from his mind. Misako continued to wait, making Jay feel more and more uncomfortable. "Well, I. . . Was just curious about something. I mean, It-It might not have been a _ghost_ ghost, but-"

"You said it _was_ ," Lloyd pouted, crossing his arms.

Jay cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head for lack of anything better to do. "I'm just, I'm just going to ask a question."

"Right," Misako nodded her head slowly, her eyes questioning Jay's sanity. "Go ahead."

"Just _say_ it," Cole pushed on Jay's shoulder, making the man stumble forward.

"Did, did you ever have someone live here," the man breathed in, eyes shifting from the mother to the son. "By the name of Cole Brookstone?"

Misako's eyes widened, and Lloyd's face broke into a smile. "Cole! Are you his friend? Do you know where he is? He was _cool_."

"Of course I was," the ghost smirked.

"Lloyd, could you go back to the apartment, please? I'll be right there." Misako began to push her son away from Jay, and the kid made his body as stiff as he could.

"But my drawing!" He protested, pointing towards the desk.

"Lloyd, _now_."

Sighing in defeat, the small boy ran back down the hall, hesitating by his door before stepping inside.

"Nobody's asked about Cole. Are you one of his friends? It was rather sad. I don't think even his father showed up to the funeral," Misako said, and Cole's face tightened into a frown. "I tried to shield Lloyd from it, he's too young to understand these things. I'd appreciate it if you didn't. . . Say anything."

Jay nodded. "Don't worry about that. And. . . I suppose you could call me one of his friends. What exactly happened?"

"I don't know," Misako said, looking down. "No one does. They never solved the case. He was found dead, with bruises around his neck. My husband worked for weeks on the case, but he had nothing to go on. And now. . . Now his brother-"

The woman closed her eyes, fighting back the tears and shaking her head. "I'm sorry. That's all I can say."

Jay nodded, not knowing how to react to Misako's teary eyes. "That's. . . Thank you. That helps a lot. I'm sorry for bringing it up. I'll. . . go now."

Shuffling past her, Jay quickly reached the stairs. He began trotting upwards. The words began blurring around in his head. Murdered. Just like the teacher. Garmadon's brother. Murdered. The killer still on the loose. Jay rubbed his neck. He didn't want to be next.

"'That helps a lot'," Cole quoted, gliding ahead. "Does it? How? I'm still as lost as I was."

"Well," Jay pushed the door to his apartment open. "It does tell us one thing,"

"Which _is_?"

"This is going to be far more dangerous than I thought." The man shook his head. "And _I_ am going to need some sleep."


	4. Dead ends

Chapter 4 - Dead Ends

The next day Cole followed Jay to his job. The ghost was thrilled to finally be outside, wondering what sort of fear had kept him inside the apartment for so long. He now knew it had been rather ridiculous to remain cooped up inside that place. The world was _huge_. There was no way he'd ever get bored _now_.

Jay, on the other hand, did not share the same enthusiasm. Half of him had expected everything to return to normal the next day, and when it hadn't, he felt more exhausted than ever. Add a ghost without memories to his list of problems.

"So what exactly do you _do_?" Cole asked, as they stepped inside the building. "Wow. There's so many _people_. Is this normal?"

"Yesterday, I was stuck doing something dumb, thanks to you keeping me up," Jay hissed, keeping his voice as low as possible. "And yes, there's always lots of people. _Please_ don't do anything crazy."

"I'll _behave_ ," Cole rolled his eyes. "For the most part."

The blue-eyed man shook his head, reaching the same room as yesterday. He was early. There were only a couple of other people around, including the big mustached man who'd urged him to step out on his first day. Jay sat as far back as he could, just like before.

"Why don't you sit with them? Maybe they'll know something. You said you'd help."

"I _am_. But not _now_. I don't want to talk to them," Jay answered, shaking his head. He'd only make a bigger fool of himself. It was better to lay low, and hope everyone forgot about him in due time.

"Well, looks like you have no choice," Cole sat on the desk, a smile plastered on his face. Jay looked up, following the ghost's gaze. The man with the mustache had his eyes locked on Jay's, and he'd begun to cross the room towards him. " _He_ wants to talk to _you_."

"Uh, hi," Jay said, quickly looking down at the table.

"Nice to see you with your eyes open, Sleeping Beauty," the man said, holding out his hand. "Name's Officer Flintlock. And I seem to have the displeasure of being stuck with you."

"I'm. . . Sorry?" Jay held out his hand, flinching at Flintlock's tight grip.

"The chief asked me to keep an eye on you. Make sure you don't cause any more trouble."

Cole leaned towards Flintlock. "Man. His mustache is _thick_. Do you think he puts shampoo on it?"

Jay bit his lip, holding back a fit of laughter. "Um. So. Like, we're partners then?"

"Ha!" The man laughed. "Partner. That's a title you earn. Right now you're just a wannabe cop in my eyes."

Jay opened his mouth to protest, but shut it as soon as the chief stepped into the room. Everyone else did the same, and Flintlock plopped down on the seat beside Jay. Cole whistled in amazement. "Now _he_ looks like a tough guy to scare."

"Please don't try," Jay begged.

"Excuse me, Officer Walker?" Chief Garmadon said, looking up from the papers before him. "Do you have something to say?"

"Uh, um." Jay's cheeks grew red. " _Pleased_ to be here this morning, sir."

"Humph."

Cole chuckled. "Nice save."

Jay glared at Cole, then diverted his attention back to the chief, who had been handing out various assignments to the people around him. Finally, he returned his gaze back to Jay and his unhappy partner. "Flintlock, I'll have you show Walker the ropes. Most of all, show him how to keep out of my way, will you?"

"Yes, chief." Flintlock half nodded, a twinge of resentment in his voice. "Come on, boy."

Jay stumbled out of his chair, and Cole glided in front of them, going through the door right before Flintlock pushed it open. "I thought you were going to _ask_ questions. We haven't exactly gotten anything done."

"So," Jay said, trotting forward to keep up with his partner's long strides. "Where are we going?"

"I'll show you around town. We'll mostly be patrolling the area," the man answered, shrugging.

"Oh," Jay frowned. "What about the murders? I _did_ pass the test for-"

Flintlock laughed, shaking his head. "Numbers on a pretty paper don't mean anything to the chief, you know. You have to climb your way up if you want to get anywhere. Show him he can trust you. He's not just going to make you detective because of a _test_."

"That makes no sense." Jay watched Flintlock climb into a small patrol car with the letters NPD painted on the side. When the man unlocked the passenger door, Jay went inside. "I worked for this. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Oh, sure he will. Why don't you go on and talk to him when we get back? I'm sure he'd _love_ to help you." Flintlock laughed again, the sound echoing with sarcasm.

"I _will_ ," Jay pouted, his words filled with a bravado that he didn't quite feel. Cole pushed his body through the back door, sitting upon the backseat.

"Hey, look," Cole said, leaning forward enough for Jay to hear. "I've been arrested."

"Your jokes are _so_ bad." Jay rolled his eyes.

"Oh, so you _did_ know I was joking about talking to the chief. Good. It would've been the last thing you ever did," the man said. "Now, my advice for you, is keep your head low, and follow orders until he trusts you."

"Heh," Jay sighed. "Keep my head low. Follow orders. Seems like I've been doing that since I was a kid."

"Best way to stay alive."

Silence was Jay's only response. He felt nervous and uncomfortable, looking outside the window as he searched for the right questions to ask. He wondered if there was any way he'd _actually_ get any helpful information. It didn't seem like anyone trusted him. It didn't seem like anyone liked him.

"Come on," Cole insisted, persistent as ever. "I'm sure he knows _something_."

Jay blew out a soft breath, making the bits of hair on his forehead flutter. "So, Officer Flintlock, right? I guess you're supposed to call me Walker. That's weird. My first name's Jay. What's yours?"

Flintlock scoffed. "Full of questions, aren't you?"

"That's how you learn, no? Heh. . ." Jay cleared his throat. "I was just trying to fill in the silence. It's kinda awkward."

Flintlock continued to drive, purposely keeping his lips shut.

"Do you _know_ anything about the murders?" The young cop tried again. "Anything about Cole Brookstone. . . Maybe?"

"Ah," Flintlock nodded. "Yes. The young journalist. His death was quite a while ago. Murderer was never found."

"Why not?" Jay asked.

"Journalist." Cole echoed, tasting the word, willing his memory to click. A painful pounding echoed in his head. For a moment, the world around him began to fade. Jay's face blurred away into darkness. Cole closed his eyes.

He felt himself spin away from reality.

* * *

 _He was in a room now, frantically shoving pieces of notebook paper into a small, beat up binder. Ideas and clues spun around in his mind, beginning to click. But of course, there was no one that would believe him. The door behind him swung open, pouring light into his dim room._

" _Cole, you need to stop this. You're going crazy!" A man, slightly shorter than him shouted, his thin curled mustache quivering at each word. "When was the last time you got decent sleep?"_

" _That doesn't matter, dad," Cole hissed in response. "I'm really close. I told you. Something isn't right. The earthquake? No one saw that coming. No one. It wasn't normal. There's something else going on. Something unnatural."_

 _He shoved his binder into a black backpack, which he slung over his shoulder. He had everything he needed now. There would be no need to come back to this house. There would be no need to see the man he called father again._

" _Listen to yourself. Unnatural? It was a tragedy, sure, but things happen."_

" _Not like_ that _. I'm going to figure out what's going on in this city, if it's the last thing I do."_

 _Cole growled the words. He felt angry. Angry that his father, the one person he had to lean on, couldn't understand him. Couldn't listen. Swiveling on his heels, Cole stepped out the door, pushing his father aside._

" _It may as well be the last thing you do," his father scoffed._

" _So what? At least I'm doing something, instead of pretending everything is alright." Cole reached the front door, his hands shaking slightly._

" _Fine," His father threw his hands up. "I give up. You're not going to listen are you? No matter what I say, you'll go on with your crazy theories."_

" _They're not crazy," Cole opened the door, then stepped outside. "And I'm going to prove it."_

* * *

When Cole snapped back into reality, he was alone.

He grasped onto everything the brief flash of his life had shown him. The blurry image of his father. Each and every feeling that had passed through his heart. And most of all, the strong sense of purpose that had fueled him forward.

Cole had discovered something, but try as he might, the image of his notes blurred away into nothing. He sighed.

As the excitement of seeing who he had once been faded, a thick fear began to set in. He was alone. He was still sitting in the back of the patrol car, but now his one and only companion had vanished. Cole did not know where to go. He hadn't memorized the path from here to his home. He was lost.

He stepped out of the car, standing on the empty sidewalk. Cars passed him on the street here and there, but of course, no one paid him any mind. He looked at the police station, wondering if he'd have to spend the night here. At the very least, he knew Jay would return sooner or later.

It was strange, being in such an open space. He knew every nook and cranny of his small apartment. Out here, he knew nothing.

"Better than being bored, huh?" He told himself, plopping down on the stairs leading up to the station. The excitement from this morning faded away, and he was left with nothing but fear. Cole shook his head, searching for something to focus on. Maybe, if he stepped inside, he would be able to find something on his own. Maybe-

 _Slam!_

The door to the station snapped open, and Jay stepped out, his face red with either fury or embarrassment. Both of his hands had turned into shaking fists, and he trotted down the stairs faster that Cole expected.

"Whoa, wait!" Cole ran forward, "Where did you go? That lockpick or whatever guy was _right_. The moment I heard the word 'journalist' my mind went into some kind of-. . . Are you okay?"

It was obvious that Jay wasn't listening. He shook his head, bits of angry tears making his blue eyes shine. "I tried to find out more things about you. I _did_. I talked to the chief. Told him that I was supposed to be a _detective_ , not some kind of boring little cop. But, oh no. He doesn't _trust_ me. He doesn't _know_ me. I don't seem like I'd be good at anything. Does he _have_ to be so mean?"

Jay scoffed, slowly beginning to return his step to a normal pace as the words and anger continued to flow out. "I don't know how to help you. I don't know if I can. We're just hitting a bunch of dead ends here. This is all so dumb. You shouldn't even _be_ real. I'm in the middle of the street, shouting at myself. Ha. Maybe I should check myself into an asylum. At least I'd have free food."

"So," Cole cleared his throat, trying not to laugh at the weird stares his blue-eyed friend was getting. "You asked. It obviously didn't go well."

"We're not getting any information from the chief, that's for sure." Jay sighed. "All _he's_ going to do is hide behind his little papers. . ."

Jay stopped moving. The light of an idea flashed across his eyes. Cole stopped moving as well, tilting his head to the side. "Uh, Jay?"

"Papers! Of course. Why didn't I think of it?"

"Because papers are irrelevant to murder?"

"Maybe, but what's _in_ the papers isn't." Jay swiveled around, now trotting back to the police station.

"And that would be?"

"Information." They reached the station once again, with Jay out of breath and Cole filled with confusion. "There _might_ be a way to find out more. I've just been asking the wrong person."

"I'm still lost," Cole said, following Jay through the station's halls. They trotted down the stairs in unison, watching the light around them begin to dim.

"Just follow me." Jay reached the records room. He turned the handle and sighed in relief when it responded. Once inside, he waited a few minutes for his eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness. Just as before, Pythor's small shadow broke away from the shelves and glided forward.

"You again?" the man asked. "Got into more trouble, did you?"

"No. Well, the chief isn't happy with me, but that's not what I'm here for." Pythor waited in silence, his curious eyes listening to Jay's every word. "I was wondering if _you_ knew anything about a man named Cole Brookstone."

"Ah. So you're searching for information." Pythor chuckled, shaking his head. "And I suppose you are doing it all behind the chief's back?"

Jay bit his lip. Why had he thought this would work, exactly? Chief Garmadon was Pythor's boss as well as his. Pythor had absolutely no reason to risk his own job for someone he had just met. Sighing, he nodded. "I guess. . . I technically am, yes."

"And if the chief finds out, he won't be too pleased."

"Probably not, no." Jay scratched the back of his head. "I understand. Ha. It was, a terrible idea really. I just, didn't know where else to-"

"I'll tell you what I know."

"Awesome!" Cole smiled, throwing a fist in the air.

"What?" Jay's mouth fell open.

"Oh sure. It does get rather boring to work here now and again. This should prove to be . . . Interesting." Pythor smiled. Jay shuddered, thinking of the consequences that might lay ahead, then subconsciously took a step back from Pythor. He looked far too pleased to be causing trouble. "Plus, if you ask me, the chief could have done a bit more to solve the murder. I'm sure wherever that poor boy is now, he'd like to see the culprit in jail."

"Very much so," Cole said, nodding.

Pythor stepped back into the shelves, stroking each file with his fingertips as he counted down for what he was searching for. "Ah. Here we are. Brookstone, Cole."

"This is progress," Jay muttered to himself, nodding. He let his mind wander into the future for a brief second. If _he_ solved the case, not only would he be free of his apartment's ghost, but he would most definitely prove to the chief that he _was_ detective material. Jay just had to solve the case _before_ Chief Garmadon found out he'd been sneaking around.

"Hmm. There's almost nothing here I'm afraid." Pythor handed over the file, which Jay took eagerly into his hands.

He flipped open the folder, looking over the details. The murder had occurred in the apartment, there were bruises around the victim's neck. No witnesses. The body hadn't been found until days later, when the man's father had dropped in out of worry. By that time, the killer had most likely found a place to hide.

No fingerprints. No suspects. _Nothing_.

"There's nothing," Jay bit his lip.

Pythor shook his head. "That's not quite true."

The white haired man pointed back down at the paper. Jay followed the gesture, looking over the numbers and letters that formed an address.

"Now you know where to find Cole's father."


	5. Ghost Town

Chapter 5 - Ghost Town

"Well this is it."

Jay trotted out of the bus, followed by his transparent companion. The small town before them wasn't much. Many homes had been reduced to rubble in the earthquake, and construction was still taking enough space to make it seem like a barren wasteland. Tents were set up here and there, and very few people wandered around on the streets.

"Doesn't look so. . . good," Cole said, stepping before Jay, leading them into the rattled town. "Do you think my dad would still be . . . alive?"

"Let's hope so," Jay said.

Cole hoped for more memories to wash over him as he stepped into the place he'd grown up in, but there was nothing. Nothing but a thick sense of dread as he wondered about his father. What would they do if he was dead?

"What if his house is still being fixed up?" Jay said. "Just our luck. Out of all the places your father could have been, he _had_ to be in one of the earthquake zones."

Cole thought back to his memory, where he'd pointed out the earthquakes were something to worry about, instead of shrug away. "So what exactly _happened_ here? You've mentioned the earthquakes before, but I'm still in the dark."

"Welcome to the club, buddy." Jay lowered his voice, as they began to approach a bit more of the town's population. "No one really knows what's going on. The first earthquake, it happened at an amusement park. There was no warning. One second the park was there, the next, _bam_! It was nothing but piles of metal and dirt on the ground."

"Huh."

They reached the location Pythor had provided for them. It wasn't much. The house had recently been reconstructed, as it still lacked paint, and some of the windows were nothing more than holes upon a wall. Cole tilted his head. "Not exactly what I pictured. I was kind of hoping I was the son of a rich lord, or something along those lines."

"Ha ha, you wish." Jay smiled, then reached out to knock on the door, trying to shut down his frantic nerves. He wasn't exactly looking forward to chatting up a stranger on the topic of his dead son.

"No, I do not need any more of your charity, thank you." A voice echoed from the inside, slowly traveling towards the door. "And no, I don't want to talk. I don't want five seconds of fame in a crummy newspaper article, and I'm not going to buy any - Oh."

Cole's father stopped in his tracks, surprise flashing through his eyes as he studied Jay. The blue eyed man tried to stand a bit taller, stealing confidence from his uniform. "Good evening, sir. I'm Officer Walker, and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?"

"You're way too polite," Cole shook his head. "Oh, hi, I'm Mr. Nice Cop. _May_ I ask you some questions? Jeez. How did you ever become a police officer?"

Jay shot a small glare towards Cole, then redirected his attention towards the man before him. Cole's father looked to Jay's side, trying to pinpoint what he had been staring at. After finding nothing, he looked back at Jay. "About what, exactly?"

"Your son, sir."

The man's skin paled, and his eyes shot downwards. "Oh. . . I was under the belief that the NPD had given up on the case."

"We admit we may have missed something, and it would be very helpful if you told me everything you know," Jay said, his voice flowing a bit better as he went on. This wasn't _too_ hard. He just had to remember to _forget_ he hadn't been granted permission to do this. "Anything at all."

"Well," the man stepped aside, welcoming Jay into his house. "There isn't much to say that I haven't already mentioned before. But . . . If there's any hope of bringing that. . . that murderer to justice, I'll say all I can."

Cole followed Jay inside, a smile plastered on his lips. He couldn't remember the man, or any feelings he might have had towards him, but he felt a pleasant warmth spread throughout his body. Whoever Cole had been, he'd been someone worth caring for.

After standing awkwardly in the living room for a couple of seconds, Jay slowly lowered himself onto a small couch. The house, like its exterior, seemed empty and unfinished. Boxes lay pushed up against the walls here and there, tightly shut, as if Cole's father would much rather forget they existed.

Cole's father followed Jay's eyes. "Ah. That's the bits of stuff we were able to retrieve after the earthquake. Some of. . . Some of Cole's stuff is there. I don't really want to go through it."

Shaking away the thin layer of tears that threatened to spill, the man sat on the small chair before the couch. "So. . . What do you want to hear?"

"Well," Jay rubbed the palms of his hands against his pants, wiping away the beads of sweat forming upon his skin. "The last night you saw him. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

"He didn't say much." The man shook his head. "Nothing other than the strange obsession he had with the earthquakes. He'd been going on about them for days, shouting about how unnatural they were. I didn't. . . I didn't really listen. None of it made sense. I told him to step away from it, but he was rather stubborn."

"I guess he must have headed back to his apartment, eventually. Since that's where. . ." The man's hands balled up into fists. "But I doubt he walked there. It isn't exactly a short distance."

Jay nodded. Heading here hadn't exactly made a huge breakthrough in his investigation just yet, but at least now he knew there _was_ a missing piece the police hadn't found. If Jay could figure out who the last person to see Cole was, he'd have his first suspect. Chief Garmadon would _have_ to listen.

"I'm sorry if there isn't much for me to say." The man nodded to the boxes behind Jay. "The top box has most of Cole's notes. If he was working with anyone, it'll be there."

Cole glided over to the box his father had indicated. He reached through it, impatience and excitement fueling him. It didn't feel very full.

"Thank you," Jay walked over to the box, glancing briefly at the ghost before pulling it open. Three notebooks stared back up at him, with papers ripped and sticking out at odd angles. He reached down for the first one, briefly going through the pages. "Nice handwriting."

"Hush," Cole said, leaning towards the notebook. "Well, he wasn't kidding about my obsession with the earthquake."

"That doesn't help. We need a name, not natural disaster trivia," Jay said, putting aside the first handful of notes and going for the second.

"I'm sorry?" Cole's father looked up, Jay smiled shyly and shook his head.

"Sorry just. . . talking to myself."

"If I had so much information on the earthquakes, they _have_ to be important."

Jay shrugged. Multiple articles about the event that had destroyed Ninjago's amusement park looked back up at him. He skimmed through most of the information, looking for Cole's actual handwriting.

"Look!" The ghost pointed at a passage scribbled at the bottom of the page.

 _I'm close to a conclusion. I can feel it. If I can figure out the pattern, I'll be able to beat the culprit before they set off the next earthquake. Problem is, I don't have enough clues. I can't even convince anyone to help me, either. Kai is trying to understand, at the very least, but I know he thinks I'm crazy too._

"Kai," Cole echoed the name, feeling a strange familiarity as he did so.

"Kai," Jay repeated setting the notebook back down into the box. "Does that name mean anything to you, sir?"

The man nodded. "Yes. Kai Smith. He worked with my son for Ninjago's newspaper. I saw him drop in every once in a while. We didn't talk much. He was a terrible singer."

Cole chuckled. Jay shook his head. "Right, well, I think I'll try asking him some questions. Thank you for the information."

"Anything to help," Cole's father nodded, standing up to shake Jay's hand. The cop flinched at the grip. "Please, if you learn about anything, if you need anything else, don't hesitate to come back."

Jay nodded. "Of course. I'll keep you updated."

The man guided them towards the door, and after another brief wave of good byes, Jay and Cole began to head back towards the bus stop. Jay plopped down onto an empty bench, and Cole stood above him.

"So, Kai Smith," Cole said. "Now what?"

"Well," Jay sighed, wondering _when_ exactly he'd be able to go back home. His feet were beginning to ache, and there was a thin layer of sweat growing upon his skin. "I guess we're going into the city, to try and find your former job."

Cole smiled. "And when we do, we'll find Kai."


	6. Living Dead

Chapter 5-Living dead

Kai Smith didn't feel very much alive.

His world was dictated by routine now. There were no more late night calls as new stories were unearthed. No more dodging into the shadows, as he tried to find an answer to whatever mystery he was working on.

After his best friend's death, Kai's sister had made him vow that no, he would no longer put himself in the edge of danger. He would no longer bring the truth forward, as some secrets were better off left alone.

Kai would wake up every morning. Put together whatever food he could, and eat a somewhat pathetic excuse for a breakfast. Then he'd head drive to the city, with the same old songs looping round and round in Ninjago's radio station. Find a parking spot in the same place as yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before _that_.

Then he'd head up to his office, ignoring most of the small talk his coworkers tried to shoot at him. Kai didn't really want to look at their eyes. He knew exactly what he would find. Pity. Even months after Cole's death, everyone around him treated him like a ticking time bomb,

Heck, maybe he was.

After successfully ignoring everyone around him, Kai would get to work, editing other's articles, choosing which to keep and which to send back. He would fall into a monotonous rhythm, causing his eyes to burn with the desire to sleep.

Everything stayed the same. Nothing ever changed. His days were mirror images of each other, making it hard for him to look forward to anything. He wasn't alive. He was simply existing.

But that afternoon, things were different.

The beginning of the day felt very much the same. Breakfast. Drive. Park. Ignore. Work. He went through the usual motions, yawning here and there. Once the day was over, Kai reached for his keys, then trotted towards the elevator. He didn't have any expectations for the day. He would arrive home, then wait for his sister to return from her own job. They'd exchange a few words about their day. Then Kai would sleep, and reset the cycle.

The elevator doors slid open. He walked past them, ignoring the feeble goodbyes of his coworkers. He headed towards his car, then froze, watching as his routine began to rip apart at the seams.

A nerveous looking cop stood by his car, his hands tapping against his sides. Something wasn't right. He walked closer, and eventually, the man took notice of him.

"Excuse me," The cop said, voice shaky. "Are you Kai Smith?"

* * *

"What if he's already gone?" Cole whined, effortlessly keeping up with Jay.

"I don't know," Jay shrugged.

"And if Kai's already gone, _how_ will we ever know what happened to me?"

"We could ask someone else. _Someone's_ bound to know him. Maybe they can tell us where he lives. Or I could just ask Pythor for help again. I'm sure he knows everything, and then some." The bus rolled into the stop. After paying for his ticket, Jay plopped down onto one of the seats, enjoying the relief spreading throughout his legs.

Cole remained standing, in case someone decided to sit next to Jay. Being trapped between the seat and someone's body didn't really appeal to him. "Fair enough."

"I hope we get lucky though. The faster we finish this, the better."

"You know, you really should pretend to be talking on the phone when you talk to me. Or else all of Ninjago will think you're crazy by the time we solve this thing." Cole chuckled, looking at the weird stares and raised eyebrows Jay was receiving.

The cop sunk further down into his seat, his cheeks glowing red. He decided not to answer his friend's suggestion.

After a couple more stops, they reached the city. Jay stood, heading towards the door, and walking down onto the street at the next stop. The buildings loomed over him, making him feel smaller than ever. There were people all around him, all focused in their own worlds, barely taking any notice of the young lost cop trudging alongside them.

"This place is huge," Jay chuckled his eyes shinning with wonder. He didn't visit the city very often. And when he did, he was always amazed.

Cole did his best to move out of people's way, but ended up giving up and allowing them to go through him. He shivered. "Let's just find my job. I don't like crowds."

Jay nodded, snapping his mind back into the situation at hand. Only then, did he realize how utterly lost he was. "Well. . . How about we. . ."

"You don't know where anything is, do you?"

The cop shook his head.

"Well. . . Maybe if we keep moving I'll remember _something_."

It was a good a plan as any. Jay and Cole walked along with the people around them, looking at all of their surroundings. Multiple smells of food wavered around, and Jay's stomach began to growl, reminding the man that he hadn't anything since that morning. And unfortunately, he didn't have enough money to appease his hunger either.

Cole's eyes darted left and right, seeking something, anything, that might jog his memory. The city had a certain familiarity to him, but it was all too vague. He couldn't pinpoint anything. They strolled past a small café, where people chattered and laughed. Everything around him was pulsing with life, and Cole began to ache with longing.

Jay leaned against the café's window, wiping a few beads of sweat from his forehead. "Oh man. It's way too hot. It was _pouring_ yesterday. Why can't we get a bit of that today?"

Cole shrugged, then looked back inside the small café, taking in as many details as he could.

" _Bet you can't finish your report before I do," A man with spiked, dark brown hair said. He sat in front of Cole, a permanent smirk plastered on his lips._

 _Cole scowled. "Oh please. I always finish before you Kai. I'm surprised you're even actually_ working _today."_

" _How about a bet then. Whoever finishes last, pays."_

" _You're on, loser."_

" _We'll see who's the loser when you're paying for me."_

This time, the memory hadn't absorbed him. It had played before his eyes, and for that brief minute, he'd seen himself inside the shop, just as alive as anyone else. "I've been here before. Me and Kai. I _saw_ it."

Jay turned around to face the shop, then turned to his friend. "That's something at least. Think it's close?"

"I hope so," Cole said. "Let's keep going."

This time, Cole led Jay forward, letting his feet guide him forward. Even if his memories were nothing but blurs, his subconscious now seemed to know enough to lead Cole to their destination. Jay struggled to keep up, weaving in and out of the crowds of people. In this scenario, it seemed a little more comfortable to be a ghost.

" _We're so late," Cole muttered, speed walking forward. "So, so late."_

" _Pft, no one keeps tabs on us." Kai chuckled, although he seemed to be moving as fast as Cole. "We'll be alright."_

" _If anyone says anything, you're dead."_

Another memory flashed past Cole's eyes. He followed the shadow of his former self, barely aware of Jay's struggles as Cole began to move faster, and faster. When the memory dissipated, he stopped.

Jay didn't. He stumbled right through Cole's body, then shivered as he'd realized what he'd done. "Jeez man. Maybe a bit of a warning next time? Now I have ghost cooties."

"This is it," Cole smiled, pointing forward. "That's where I worked."

A small car caught his eye. It was painted a very, very familiar shade of red. He didn't have to think twice. "And _that_ , is Kai's car."

"Good to see your memories are getting better. Remember your killer yet? That'd be nice." Jay said, trudging forward to the car Cole had pointed to. "Very, very nice."

Cole rolled his eyes and followed. He examined the car, bending down to look inside. The back of it looked rather messy, filled with papers and empty bags of fast food. "Not impressive."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the ghost drowned in darkness.

* * *

 _Kai was waiting for him just outside. Cole turned to look back at his house one last time, wishing his father could understand, hoping his father would be safe. Then he shook his head, and headed towards his friend's car._

 _Once he sat inside, Kai raised an eyebrow at him. "Didn't go well huh?"_

" _That obvious?" Cole tried to laugh, but the ache in his chest was too powerful. "He didn't believe me, not that I thought he would. But he seemed pretty upset that I was actually going through with all this."_

" _It does seem pretty crazy." Kai said. "If I wasn't your friend, I'd take you to the looney bin."_

" _Well, once I prove that there's something else going on here, maybe we can stop it." Cole answered. "There's bound to be another earthquake."_

" _If you prove there's something else going on, you'll be Ninjago's little hero." Kai scowled. "Here's to hoping you're just crazy. Wouldn't want the popularity to get to your head."_

 _Cole ignored the comment. "I was looking into Ninjago's history, and this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Most of the truth is buried in legends by now, but there's got to be some facts buried here and there."_

" _Most stories I've found center around something called 'The Great Devourer'. A giant snake that travels beneath the ground, devouring and destroying everything in its path. There are many variations, some stories say The Great Devourer pops up every once in a while, to 'cleanse' humanity and start over."_

" _You_ are _crazy aren't you?"_

" _I'm not. I mean. I don't really believe there's a giant judging snake that's going to pounce and erase humanity. But I do think that this 'Great Devourer' could be a massive earthquake, strong enough to wipe everything back to zero. Just like in the amusement park. In less than a couple of seconds, it all turned into a big pile of nothing."_

" _And how are you planning on stopping this so called 'Great Devourer'?" Kai asked. There was still a slight mocking tone in his voice, but there was an even greater tone of curiosity. "Do you really think you could prevent another earthquake?"_

 _Cole nodded, pulling out a map, and a small sketch of a strange blade. "I just have to figure out the pattern. In each story, The Great Devourer is only unleashed after four of these 'Fang Blades' are used to 'awaken' it."_

" _You really are onto something aren't you. . ." A slight hint of jealousy coated his words. Kai turned to look at the drawing. "Wait, that kinda looks like that weird trophy your dad has in his living room."_

" _Huh," Cole tilted his head, wondering why he hadn't made the connection before. "Nice observation. I hope it's just a coincidence. I wouldn't want my dad to be-_ Watch out!"

 _Kai's eyes snapped back towards the road, just in time to slam his foot on the break. His car stopped inches away from the truck in front of him._

 _Cole let out a slow breath, shaking with adrenaline. "Not impressive."_

* * *

"Very, very nice."

Jay sighed. He felt rather exhausted. But he'd been secretly hoping that Kai would not be here, and they would be forced to return in the morning. After a nice shower. And a good night of rest. But no. The car was there.

He heard Cole scowl behind him. "Not impressive."

"What? The car? It's not _that_ bad. I mean at least he _has_ one right?" Jay turned around, only to find that Cole had disappeared once again.

"Oh great." A new wave of nerves overwhelmed him. The first time Cole had decided to pop out of existence, Jay had been with Flintlock, someone who wasn't a bad person, although he pretended to be. Jay hadn't given Cole's disappearance much thought.

But now, Jay was alone, in a place he didn't know, about to meet someone who could be Cole's murderer.

He began to tap against his side, trying to control his breathing. He was a cop. He was safe. No one would dare attack him. Not in front of so many people.

 _Yeah, you're a cop. A cop without a gun. You really think a badge is going to stop a psychopath, Jay_?

A man began to move towards him, and Jay felt all sorts of queasy. He silently prayed that the man would walk away. That the man wasn't Kai.

But he kept moving towards him, and Jay noticed the car keys being shuffled within his grip. Like it or not, the strange, spiky haired man _was_ the person they had been looking for. Jay wished Cole could be here more than anything.

"Excuse me," Jay said, taking a deep breath, trying to push away the fears that plagued him, filling himself with a façade of confidence. "Are you Kai Smith?"


	7. Flashes of Demise

Chapter 7 - Flashes of Demise

"Yes." Kai narrowed his eyes. "That's me."

The man's powerful stare made Jay's nerves skyrocket more than before, if that was even possible. Where the heck had Cole run off to?

"I have some questions for you," Jay said, trying to sound as professional as possible; something he wasn't very successful at, as his voice had begun to lean into a higher pitch that usual. "Regarding, regarding the case, I mean death, of Cole Brookstone."

Kai scowled, his mocking smirk as evident as ever. "I thought the NPD had given up on the case."

"Well, _I'm_ in charge of it now."

"So it's still a lost cause then," Kai replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd rather head home than talk to a guy pretending to be a cop."

 _I'll be rid of you faster than I thought._

 _Wow. Impressive detective work. He's a kid. And you can't get anything?_

 _Right now you're just a wannabe cop in my eyes_

The voices circled laps around Jay's head, and now, Kai's own voice was added to the mix. He felt the nerves inside him shatter with fury, and his hands began to shake. " _Look._ I'm trying to solve a case nobody seems to care about. I _am_ a cop. Sure, say whatever you want, but I've bet I've done more to find out what happened to Cole than _you_ have. At least _I'm_ not the one pretending to be a _friend_."

Kai stepped back, his eyes wide with surprise. Jay stepped forward, adrenaline pumping, ignoring every warning his inner voice tried to shout. "Now, you _will_ answer my questions, and you _will_ help me solve this case. Understood!?"

By now, many people had stopped to stare, and plenty of them had their phones pointing towards Jay and Kai. The cop stepped back, blushing furiously now that the anger had left him. He hoped none of _this_ would reach the chief.

To his surprise, Kai didn't shout back. He didn't try to swing at him, or fight back. Instead, the man gave a soft chuckle. "Wow. You have some issues man."

Jay bit his lip, refusing to make a fool of himself any more than he already had.

"So. . . you're really serious, then? About. . . finding Cole's murderer?" In an instant, Kai's voice had grown serious, his eyes heavy with something Jay couldn't pinpoint.

"Of course. I need your help. You're the only clue I have left."

"Well, I'll tell you all I can." Kai said, then snapped his head around to the few people still gawking at them. "Hey show's over, alright? _Shoo!_ "

After muttering a few unsavory words under their breath, the people merged back into the crowd. Shaking his head, Kai turned back towards Jay. "We can go to my place. My sister knows Cole too. She might have something helpful."

Jay nodded, a bit uncertain. If he left without Cole, the ghost would have no way to find him. They couldn't leave. Not yet. So instead of heading for the passenger seat, he simply nodded his head. "Yes. That sounds like a good idea."

"It is," Kai said. "So. . . get in?"

"I. . . will. I'm just. . . wow. In awe of these buildings. They _are_ pretty tall, aren't they?"

Kai frowned, looking behind him at the towering, gloomy buildings. "Yes. It's Ninjago City. Of course they're tall."

"Never been to the city before. I grew up in a place that was not a city."

"What a coincidence, so did I." Kai rolled his eyes, wondering if the cop before him was really anything more than a looney. "Did you still want to talk about Cole or. . .?"

In that instead, Cole shimmered back into existence, only a few inches away from Kai. "Jay! I had a vision! There's something else! Something called the fang-. . . You found Kai!"

"Yes, seems like I did find you, Kai," Jay said, nodding his head, heading towards the passenger seat, ignoring the glare the spikey haired man was giving him. "And now, we're heading to your house, to interview you and your sister."

"Yeah. . ." Kai said, softly, squinting his eyes. A part of him began to question whether it was anything but insane to bring this man with him.

"Gotcha," Cole winked, sliding into the backseat. "I suppose I'll try to be quiet. He already looks like he's about to drive you to an asylum."

Jay and Kai clicked their seatbelts into place, and the man began to drive through the city's streets. In Jay's mind, it all reminded him of a mirror maze, with twists and turns that all looked very much the same.

"So, why are you doing this?" Kai broke the silence. "Why _you_? I don't think Cole ever mentioned being friends with a cop."

"Oh, I didn't know him while he was alive," Jay said, "But, I. . . It seems unfair, you know? He was just a kid."

" _Excuse_ you." Cole scowled. "I'm pretty sure I count as a _man_."

"And then, the NPD drops everything just because it gets a little hard, or there are other priorities or. . . I don't know. Whatever it was, it didn't seem right to leave the case as it was," Jay continued, glad to ignore Cole's comment.

"Yeah. I was pretty mad about it. My best friend had ceased to exist, and nobody seemed to care. Same things at work. Same sunrise. Same traffic. The world kept spinning, never giving him a second thought." Kai's grip tightened around the wheel. He shook his head. Fighting to erase the shaky emotion in his voice. "You know, my sister's going to kill me when she sees you."

* * *

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

The rhythmic tapping of her nails against the table gave Nya a brief, flimsy feeling of peace and control. Her fingers were steady, movements emerging from her desires and nothing else. She controlled the spaces of silence, and the hollow sounds.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap_

It was all about control now, wasn't it? Control and order. Everything in place. Everything moving together, like steady clockwork. It was the only way she could keep her mind together.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

Except, not everything was in place today. Nya glanced at the clock, nerves bubbling up in her stomach. Kai was late. He had not called her, and his car wasn't where it should have been five minutes ago. Different scenarios filled her mind, each as likely as the last.

She could see Kai, hiding beneath his desk, as masked criminals armed to the core strolled about his job. Of course, her brother would try to be the hero. Of course, he would jump in their path, demanding a reason as to why they were there. She could see him now, stepping out into the open, the usual smirk on his lips.

The criminals wouldn't like that. Nya could feel their anger. Bullets would fly. Her brother gone, life slipping further and further away from him as the seconds ticked by. And Nya? She would spiral into darkness, alone forever.

 _Tap tap. Tap tap. Tap tap._

There was still a bit of rhythm in the sound, but her hands had become shaky. Control was slipping away.

She could see her brother's car, upside down, flames sprouting from the engine. He'd gone too fast, and this time he hadn't been able to control his vehicle. Kai had never been the most careful. No. It was all about adrenaline. And why wouldn't he want to defy his little sister's regimen of control, by speeding up far past what he should have?

Ambulances. Firefighters. Cops. All too late. The flames would have consumed the car. Her brother, in pain, in a place where Nya could do nothing to help. He would slip away from consciousness, leaving behind an empty shell.

And Nya. Alone.

 _Tap tap. Tap. Tap. . . Tap._

No rhythm. No control. Nothing but fear, just like that night. Seeing Cole's body, the idea of death shoving a blade deep inside her sanity. That could have just as easily been her brother. The thought of losing _him_ rattled her, filled her with a strong desire to keep everything in place, keep him safe, keep him close.

She couldn't bear to lose anyone else. Kai had always told her she was strong. But Nya knew it was all a façade, a defense mechanism to cloak her broken mind.

Nya heard the clanking of keys, and the mechanism of the door begin to twist open. Her brother called out to her, and she shuddered with relief. "You're _late,_ you know?"

"Yes, I know, I know." Kai answered back. When he stepped into the living room, a stranger stood behind him. Rather skinny, with wild auburn hair and freckles spread across his cheeks. His blue eyes clicked with hers, and a light blush spread throughout out his face. Seconds after, she finally noticed the man's uniform. And she realized her brother had been speaking. ". . . questions for us."

"Sorry," Nya stood, "What did you say his name was?"

Kai opened his mouth, but the man stepped forward, cutting him off and holding out his hand. "Jay. Jay Walker, Miss. . . ?"

"I'm Nya." She shook his hand. Her grip was stronger than his. "Questions about what?"

Kai bit his lip. "About. . . Cole."

Nya felt her legs weaken, but she kept her posture straight, erasing all and any emotion that might have flashed through her eyes. "I thought the NPD had given up on the case."

"Ha, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that. . ." Jay chuckled, then rubbed the back of his head. "I probably wouldn't have many. Three. But, anyway, do you think, do you think that would be okay? I'm just trying to find as many leads and clues as I can."

Nya nodded. Of course she would agree to help. Cole had always been kind. Even if the memories regarding his death made her shudder, she owed him that much.

"Just. . . sit anywhere. Did you want anything to drink?"

* * *

Jay took a sip from the cup of apple juice, ignoring Cole's snickers beside him. "Apple juice. How grown up of you."

"It's _good_ ,okay?" He hissed.

"Right," Kai said, shaking his head. "Anyway. . . yes. I did pick up Cole from his father's house. He was mumbling something or other about the earthquakes, I don't recall much. He seemed to think there was something else behind it."

"Yes," Jay nodded. "His father mentioned that. I saw some of his notes."

"Nonsense, right?" Kai shook his head. "Cole was. . . he was always trying to see something _else_. Something more. Don't get me wrong though, he was very smart. All the paper would publish were his random articles. . ."

A flash of something passed through Kai's eyes, and Cole scowled. "Well someone was jealous."

"Either way," Kai continued. "I wasn't the _last_ person he saw. Or at least I don't think I was. He asked me to drop him off at a weird antiques store, near his apartment. It was pretty late. I told him I'd go along, but he refused. So. . . I left. And later that day. . ."

Jay nodded, filling in the blanks in his own mind. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to be told your best friend had been murdered. Heck. He couldn't imagine _having_ a best friend. "That store is probably worth checking out."

"Maybe _you_ can get something out of the owner," Kai said. "The first thing I did after I learned about what happened, was go straight there, demanding answers. All I got was smug riddles and a very, very thick accent. If that guy knows anything, it won't be easy getting it out of him."

"Lucky for us," Cole smirked, "We can _scare_ it out of him."

"And . . ." Jay's mind began to race, trying to find more questions. "This probably sounds funny but. . . do you know if Cole had any enemies?"

Nya laughed, a soft, sound that made Jay's heard skip a beat. He willed his mind to focus. "Did Cole have any enemies? He was a _journalist._ Him and my brother were all over everyone's business. I'm sure they made more than a handful of enemies."

"Anything. . . more specific, maybe?"

"There _was_ this one guy. I remember Cole caused a bunch of his stores to shut down, because he was cheating people out of their money." Kai's eyes seemed unfocused, as he tried to recall the memory. "We never actually found out _who_ he was though. Once he realized Cole was onto him, he just. . .vanished. He forced his workers to call him the 'Overlord', so I'm sure this guy has quite the ego. He wouldn't have taken such an attack on his little empire lightly."

"Of course _you_ would know, Mr. Inflated Ego." Nya teased, and her brother made an annoyed face in her direction. "There was _also_ that one street hustler you guys put in jail for a couple of months. Donnie. . . Donin. . ."

"Ronin," Kai answered. "And he's all bark, no bite. I doubt he had anything to do with it."

"Ronin, ego man calling himself Overlord, and the antique store," Jay repeated, taking one last gulp of his juice. "That's far better than what I started with."

"Glad we could help," Nya said.

Jay stood, and the two siblings followed suit, guiding him back towards the door. As Jay stepped out into the street, Kai placed a hand on his shoulder. "Better be careful out there."

The cop shivered, and turned to respond, but the door shut inches away from his face. Cole laughed. "Well then. Was it just me, or did that sound a teensy bit like a threat?"

"I think we've got a bigger problem," Jay said, chuckling softly. "Just _how_ are we going to get back home?"


	8. Case closed

Chapter 8 - Case Closed

"Oh boy. You don't look good." Cole shook his head, studying his tired, dirty companion. Jay's face and skin crawled with a mixture of sunburn and bug bites, topped off with quite visible bags under his tired blue eyes. "You're definitely not going to do very good today."

"Thanks for the support," Jay yawned, laying his head down upon the table. He felt, more than saw, Flintlock plop down beside him, but he didn't move. Every one of his muscles ached, and his mind was numbed with the need to sleep.

After Kai had shoved him out of his house and into the unfamiliar town, Jay had wandered for hours, too afraid to knock on Kai's door and ask for directions, much less a ride back. Cole had protested, and questioned Jay endlessly on the decision.

"Just _knock_ and _ask_." Cole had said, for what felt like the hundredth time. "He's not going to bite."

"You _saw_ the look he gave me," Jay responded. "Besides, I'll find my way back eventually. I _really_ don't want to ask for help."

"You're a cop, Jay. You'd think you'd be a little more confident."

After that, Jay had decided to stay silent, finding that he had no words to express _why_ he didn't want to knock on the door. The thought of the unnecessary confrontation made him queasy with nerves, and although it had not been the best idea, he'd walked all the way back to his apartment.

By the time he arrived, there were only a couple of hours left before his shift started. Jay chose to plop on the bed and catch as much sleep as he could, which wasn't very much at all.

The door swung open, and Jay forced his body to lift from the table. He tried to look alert as Chief Garmadon reached the center of the room, but never before had his eyelids felt so _heavy_. Jay had never thought it would take so much effort to simply exist.

The chief's words sounded like nothing but a mess of sounds to Jay's ears; it was harder than anything to focus on even the simplest things. "Uh oh. You're in trouble. He keeps looking your way."

Jay found that Cole's comment didn't fill him with any sort of feeling. Usually, being in the spotlight would make Jay's skin turn to a soft red, and his stomach to twist slightly upon itself. But now, his skin couldn't have gotten any redder than it already was. And his stomach was too busy complaining on the lack of food to worry about doing anything else.

People began to file out towards the door, and Jay realized the meeting had ended. After blinking heavily a couple of times, he willed his body to stand, mimicking Flintlock's own movements. Before they could walk out, however, the voice of the chief reached their ears.

"Flintlock, Walker," he said, his voice a bit louder than usual. "You two in my office, now."

"Oh great," Flintlock muttered, shoving Jay forward slightly. "I better not be in any trouble because of _you_ , kid."

Soon enough, they had reached the chief's office. It was rather small, with a few bookshelves and cabinets lined against the wall. The desk was mostly bare, except for a computer, and a family picture. In it, Jay spotted a young Lloyd, the usual mischievous look glinting in his eyes. Misako's arms were wrapped around her son, while Garmadon's were wrapped around her. A big smile lit up his face.

Jay attempted to hold back a chuckle. _So he_ can _smile, huh?_

"Only when I have good reason to," Chief Garmadon growled, sitting down. Jay's eyes snapped open as he realized he'd uttered the words out loud. "And you, Officer Walker, have _not_ given me any reasons to do anything other than frown. Now sit down, both of you."

"No seat for the ghost? Service is _so_ lousy these days." Cole shook his head, crossing his arms and sitting atop the desk.

"Now, do you have any idea why you might be here?"

"Something _he's_ done, most likely." Flintlock scoffed.

"Quite right," Chief Garmadon nodded. "Which makes _you_ equally guilty, Flintlock. I trusted you to keep the boy in line."

Flintlock looked as if he wanted to protest, but he opted for crossing his arms instead. Garmadon pulled up his phone, a video playing on the slightly cracked screen. In it, Jay recognized himself, shouting at Kai.

He felt the blood drop away from his face, skin paling in less than a second. He _did_ look rather menacing, and he couldn't think of a way to explain it without admitting to be helping solve Cole's case.

"Ouch. . . We _might_ be in big trouble." Cole frowned, looking from his friend to the phone. At the moment, Jay resembled a ghost far more than Cole himself.

"Now, care to explain why you're out there _shouting_ at civilians while in _uniform_ , Officer Walker?" Garmadon said, his voice steady, but firm. Jay wished the chief would just shout at him instead. It would be far less unnerving.

"I. . . uh. . ." Jay shook his head. "It's. . . a long story?"

"Why, we do have all day, don't we, Flintlock?" Garmadon chuckled. "So why don't you go ahead, Walker?"

Flintlock's eyes were locked on Jay, anger and confusion blended equally within them. Jay felt all of his senses peak with nerves and adrenaline, while the palms of his hands began to sweat. He wasn't sure he'd be able to form any words.

"Just tell them what we learned, Jay," Cole said, "Maybe they'll help."

"Okay," Jay breathed, using Cole's steady voice to ground himself. "Okay."

"I know about the Cole Brookstone case." He began, his eyes lowered towards the ground. "More than I should, probably. I talked with his dad. He told me the last thing he and Cole did was fight."

"Nothing we didn't already know, kid," Flintlock scowled. "But the old man is innocent. He wasn't anywhere near his son's apartment when it happened."

"And then, I learned that Cole took a ride back home with Kai Smith," Jay said, and Flintlock's eyebrows raised slightly. "So. . . that's who I was yelling at."

Jay grew silent, expecting more questions. When neither the chief or Flintlock said anything, Jay carried on. "He took me to his house, and I asked more questions. Cole apparently caused trouble for a couple of criminals. Ronin, and some guy calling himself The Overlord. So. . . Maybe we should check them out?"

"Ronin wouldn't get his hands dirty if he wasn't getting paid," Flintlock said. "I spoke to the guy more than a couple of times. So if Ronin had anything to do with it, he was simply working for someone else. And The Overlord disappeared from Ninjago's grid a long time ago. We have nothing to lead us to him. Sounds like this Kai guy was simply trying to send you on a wild goose chase."

Garmadon was silent, studying Jay with an intense glare. Jay scratched the back of his head, hoping he didn't look as awkward as he felt. After a span of silence that was far too long, the chief finally spoke. "Now, Flintlock, who was in charge of the Cole Brookstone case?"

Flintlock cleared his throat, trying to make himself sit a little taller. "It was me, sir."

"And _why_ did Officer Walker obtain more information than you did?"

"I don't know sir."

"Well, Flintlock, you're going to go out, and figure this case out. You have plenty of leads now. Don't disappoint me."

Flintlock looked towards Jay, his mouth slightly parted, as if words were attempting to claw their way out. With a shake of his head, Flintlock walked out of the room, slamming the door on his way out. Jay shivered. He was _not_ looking forward to their next meeting.

"And as for _you_ , Officer Walker," Garmadon said. "You will leave this case alone, understood?"

Jay shot a fearful look at Cole. The ghost's hands were tightened into fists, and his gaze pierced the ground. "I. . ."

" _Understood?_ "

"Y-yes. . . Yes sir." Jay sighed, defeat and exhausting flowing through him. "I understand."

"Now take the day off, Walker." The chief shook his head. "You look like hell."

* * *

"We can't really stop now, can we?" Cole asked, desperation echoing in his voice. He was standing over Jay, who had crumpled straight onto his bed the moment he'd walked into the apartment. "I'm sure we're close. All that stuff about the fang blades. . . it's leading us to something."

"You heard the chief," Jay mumbled, his eyes and voice heavy with sleep. "He doesn't want me anywhere near the case."

"Well, it's not like he wanted you there before. . ." Cole sighed. "Look, I know you've already done a lot for me, and I appreciate it. But we _can't_ give up. You can solve this. Look how far you got all on your own! Not even Flintlock-"

"It's over, okay? It's over," Jay hissed, pulling his small blanket over his head. "I tried, and I failed, and it's over. I'm _not_ experienced, or smart, or strong, or any of the things a real detective needs to be. Flintlock will solve it. So just, leave me alone, okay? I can't help you anymore."

"C'mon, Jay," the ghost persisted. "You can't just give up _that_ easily."

"Oh yeah?" Jay laughed, "I just did. I'm tired, Cole. I'm sorry. I can't. It's _over_."

"Fine," Cole shrugged. "Fine."

He glided out of the room, then out the apartment itself. If Jay wasn't going to be any more help, _he_ would figure out what had happened to him on his own. He just had to find the right place, the right words, the right actions. After that, his memory would click, just as it had done before.

When Cole reached the first floor, he spotted the small kid, sitting at his mother's desk, as usual. His crayons were spread across the desk, and there were a couple of them littered on the floor.

"So you know me, huh, Lloyd?" Cole said, leaning against the wall. "You know who I was."

Of course, the kid was silent. No one but Jay could hear him. Cole sighed, feeling more alone than ever. For a moment, he'd allowed himself to believe that things would get better. He wouldn't be alone. The world around him had begun to change, and he'd allowed himself to hope that it would be for the better.

"Yeah right," he scowled at himself. He was a ghost. That was all there was to it. He wouldn't ever be anything else, and he wouldn't' ever _do_ anything other than exist in between two worlds.

Outside, a flash of lightning lit up the small lobby. Thunder soon followed. With a small gasp, Lloyd jumped from his seat, then ran towards the window. He stood on his tip toes, admiring the view of the rain splattering against the glass.

Cole studied the boy, remembering the look on his eyes when Cole's name had been mentioned. Whoever the ghost had been, he'd been someone worth admiring. Whoever Cole had been, wouldn't have given up at the first sight of trouble.

After all, hadn't Kai said he'd been responsible for busting his fair share of criminals?

He couldn't give up so easily now, could he?

"Thanks, kid," Cole smiled, then headed towards the front door. He would walk to Jay's job. Find the chief. _Somehow_ make him put Jay back on the case. He didn't exactly have a plan, but trying to do something was better than doing nothing, wasn't it?

He stepped through the door, then fell back instantly, as a wave of pain rattled through his body. Pain. _Real_ pain. Cole shivered, looking down at himself. His body rippled in and out of existence in the places where the water had come in contact with him.

"What the. . ." His voice was feeble, and it was hard for him to keep focus on the world around him. It was almost as if he were about to have another vision of his past, but this time, Cole knew there would be nothing but darkness.

He fought to hold onto consciousness, knowing that if he slipped away, there would be no return.

* * *

Jay didn't know how long he had slept.

It was rather dark outside, so he must have been out for more than a couple of hours. Instead of feeling refreshed, he felt drowsy, and even more aware of the soreness in his muscles. His skin felt hot, so he kicked away his blanket.

"Cole?" Jay said, but there was nothing but silence. He sighed. Of course the ghost had gone. Wasn't that exactly what Jay had asked for?

Well, now he had what he wanted. Peace and quiet. He was off the case. He'd had his rest. He would go back to work tomorrow, and everything would be normal. Jay would lead a perfect little life, eventually moving into a better home, then, of course, he'd move up the ladder at work. Things would finally work out.

If that was true, then why did he feel so empty?

A sharp, violent knock echoed throughout his apartment. Jay jumped into a sitting position, his heart nearly leaping from his chest. The knock came again, louder this time.

"I'm. . . coming," Jay mumbled, although his voice was too soft to be heard through the other side of the door. He pushed his hair back in an attempt to look presentable, and tucked in his wrinkled uniform.

When he stood two feet from the door, the knock returned, and Jay could see the door shuddering with the force of it. A wave of fear shook him, and he thought of Cole, murdered, alone in his apartment.

He unlocked the door, then slowly, pulled the door open. Jay's eyes flashed with recognition.

"How did you-"

Despite his years of training, Jay's reflexes weren't fast enough to dodge the punch that flew straight at his face.


	9. The Shopkeeper

Chapter 9 - The Shopkeeper

Jay stumbled back, holding his aching eye. It took a few seconds for his vision to clear. When it did, his unexpected visitor had walked through the door, hands in fists by their side.

" _Ouch_ ," Jay said. "That was unnecessary. What _are_ you doing here?"

"Unnecessary?" Nya scoffed, "You deserve every bit of that!"

"May I ask _why_?"

"Thanks to you, my brother's in _jail_." Her voice trembled for a moment, but her eyes remained glowing with fury. "Weren't you supposed to help? You just made everything worse!"

"I didn't do anything! What are you talking about?" Jay could already feel his right eye begin to swell shut. He almost laughed. Life just couldn't leave him alone, now could it? "And how the heck did you find out where I live?"

"You know, _I_ should be the one asking the questions around here."

"Sure, ask away, but let me tell you this." Jay cleared his throat. "I _don't_ have any answers."

Nya's eyes studied Jay's face. The cop didn't seem to be lying. And he most definitely _was_ confused. His deep frown would have been comical, had she been in any other situation. With a sigh, Nya allowed her hands to relax.

"The cops came into our house today, saying they'd stumbled upon new evidence that pointed towards Kai. Of course, his temper didn't make it any easier to prove his innocence." Nya shook her head, feeling a deep sickness within her stomach as she relived the memories. They almost seemed like a dream. "I don't know what the heck they were talking about, but the only cop we've talked to lately is _you_. So. . . Who am I supposed to blame, you know?"

Jay remained silent, so she continued. "I thought that. . . Maybe if I came back to Cole's apartment, _I_ could find some answers. I could prove my brother's innocence. And then there's this kid, who tells me _you're_ living here."

"Ah," Jay nodded. "Lloyd. Of course."

"That's all you have to say?" Nya scowled. "Do I need to punch you again?"

Jay stepped back, holding up his hands, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "The chief gave me the day off. He told me to back off from the case. I had nothing to do with _any_ of this."

"But you don't really think he did it, do you?"

Nya's frown deepened, and Jay studied her features more closely. She seemed rather vulnerable now, as the weight of everything continued to push down on her shoulders, but still, there was a steady strength flowing through her eyes, refusing to give way. Jay felt his cheeks begin to grow red, so he quickly lowered his eyes.

He thought about Kai, and what he'd seen. Sure, he could have said that Kai, out of jealousy of his friend's success, had simply snapped and gone off to murder his best friend, but it didn't fit. Kai wasn't any more successful than he'd been before. If anything, he'd dropped out of the public eye and into the background.

Besides, there was a certain sadness and guilt hanging about him, as if he'd wished more than once that he had been the one to die instead.

"No," Jay answered, as truthfully as he could, forcing his eyes back to Nya's. "I don't think your brother killed Cole."

* * *

 _The dark shape loomed above him, its hands tightening more and more around his throat. Cole tried to struggled, but there was nothing he could do. He was too tired. Too weak._

" _Think you can try and stop me, huh?" The voice of his killer laughed. "I've gotta admit, Cole Brookstone, you're pretty smart."_

 _He couldn't fight the darkness around his vision anymore. It was swallowing him. Cole knew it would end soon. He felt regret wash over him, thinking of the last moments he'd spent with his father._

 _Had any of it been worth it?_

 _Either way, he'd lost, hadn't he?_

" _Not smart enough though."_

 _Cole had to agree._

Reality swarmed around him, and Cole jumped to his feet. He looked around, then, remembering the rain, looking down at his own body. Everything was as it should be, and the strange fatigue that had swallowed him moments before, had vanished.

The feelings of failure and sorrow from his memory, however, had not. He almost felt like mimicking Jay, and simply giving up. But he couldn't do that, could he?

"Maybe I wasn't smart enough before," Cole said, to the shadow of his killer. "But two minds are better than one, aren't they?"

He began to head up the stairs, back to Jay's apartment.

* * *

"Okay," Nya allowed herself to relax. "Okay."

"I'm sure they'll figure out your brother is innocent," Jay said. "It won't take them long to figure out he has an alibi and-"

"He doesn't."

Jay stopped, looking at the girl before him. "He. . . doesn't?"

"After he dropped of Cole at that shop, he just. . . I don't know what he did. He came home pretty late that night. He doesn't have an alibi."

"Now that. . . That might make things a little more difficult," the cop admitted, "but I'm sure the truth will come out."

"Yes it will," Nya said. "Because I'm going to find out who did it. And _you're_ going to help me."

"Looks like I'm a bit late for the pep talk," Cole said, slipping through the door. "Huh. How'd _she_ find us?"

Jay couldn't help it, his blue eyes lit up with joy. "Cole!"

"Didn't really think I'd leave you alone, now did you?" The ghost smiled. "So are we back on the case?"

"What. . . What _about_ Cole?" Nya asked, studying Jay's face.

"Sorry, I just. . . thought of . . ." Jay ran through a list of plausible excuses, and when he found none, opted to shake his head instead. "I can't help. The chief already said I needed to step away from the case. I can't lose my job."

" _You_ put my brother in this mess. You _are_ going to help me fix it. I don't care if I have to drag you out into the street." The fierceness returned to Nya's eyes, and Jay lifted his hands in surrender, taking a step back.

"Okay, okay!" He shouted, his voice cracking slightly. "I'll help you."

"Good." A smug smile lit up Nya's features. "Now, the last thing Cole did before coming back here was go to that. . . that antique shop. My brother said he'd dropped him off there. So that's a good place to start as any."

"You know," Cole smiled, "I like her."

"I suppose," Jay said, still feeling more than reluctant.

"Let's go then."

Jay shook his head. "No, wait. Let me change out of my uniform. The _last_ thing I need is another video of me doing something absolutely idiotic for the chief to find."

When he stepped into his room and shut the door, Cole followed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall. "Well it didn't take _her_ much to convince you to go out there, now did it?"

Jay ditched his uniform, stepping into a pair of jeans and a white shirt. He rummaged through his clothes, finally pulling out a blue jacket. As he slipped his arms into it, he shrugged. "She's a bit more menacing than you are."

"Is _not_. I bet she hasn't scared people out of their homes."

"Bet she has," Jay chuckled, thinking of Nya's fierce eyes. The small, almost mocking smile. He briefly wondered what her laughter sounded like, before realizing Cole's teasing eyes were upon him. Jay blushed clearing his throat. " _Anyway_ , let's do this thing."

"Ah," Cole said. "About that. I'm not going."

"What!?" Jay half shouted, then lowered his voice to a whisper. "What do you mean you're not coming? You _have_ to."

"I can't touch water," the ghost said. "Trust me, I tried. And it didn't go well. My body started just, _melting_. Don't want to do that again. On the other hand, I _saw_ my killer. In a memory."

"Seriously?" Jay hissed. "And you're waiting until _now_ to tell me that? What did he look like?"

"Well, he was definitely not a kid, so we can cross Lloyd off the list," Cole said, and Jay rolled his eyes. "Otherwise. . . All I saw were shadows. And well, the voice was a man's. Or maybe a woman with a _really_ deep voice."

"Well that sure narrows it down quite a lot." The cop shook his head. "I'll be back. Don't. . . Disappear."

Cole raised one eyebrow at the strange request, "I. . . won't?"

After running his hand through his hair one last time, Jay stepped out of his room, slipping his badge into his back pocket. "Alright, all set."

"Do you _always_ talk to yourself?" Nya asked, causing Jay to blush once again.

"Just running through the evidence. Narrowing down suspects, and all that detective stuff."

"Uh, huh."

After locking the door to his apartment, Jay followed Nya to her car. He tried to focus on the task at hand, but his mind kept slipping, noticing every single detail about the way the girl before him moved. In fact, Jay's mind was so lost, that when Lloyd spoke up a small yelp escaped his lips.

"You found him!" He said, then shot Jay a strange look as the cop jolted back into reality. "I _told_ you he'd moved in with the ghost."

"Thank you for that," Nya smiled.

"You're welcome!" Lloyd smiled with pride.

They stepped out into the rain, and into Kai's red car. Jay shivered as he plopped into the seat, hugging the jacket tighter around himself. Nya sat in the driver's seat, cranking up the car's heater as soon as the engine came alive.

"Sorry about the mess." Jay noticed Nya's hand tapping rhythmically against the wheel as she said this, her eyes shifting around the car to all the things that seemed to be out of place. "My brother's been. . . Sort of distracted lately."

"I bet," Jay said. "Don't worry about it. Trust me, my parent's trailer is _way_ worse."

"Trailer?" Nya asked.

"Uh," the cop thought back to the junkyard he'd been born in, and realized that was the _last_ thing about himself he wanted to share. "They travel a lot. So, a trailer works better than a home, you know?"

Nya nodded absent mindedly, and Jay mentally thanked her for not asking anymore questions. Lying wasn't exactly his strong suit. He looked out the window, watching as the buildings alongside the street flew past. The path they were taking seemed very familiar.

"You know where the shop is, right?" He said, attempting to break the silence.

"No, I'm just driving straight for no reason." Nya said. "Of _course_ I know where the shop is."

"Sorry," Jay muttered.

When they stopped, Jay realized why the path had looked so familiar. The small shop stood directly across the police station. "Oh. Of course. Just my luck."

Nya took a brief look at the station, longing and worry clouding her brown eyes. Jay opened his mouth to reassure her that Kai would be alright, but thought better of it, and followed her into the shop instead.

When they stepped inside, Jay let out a soft whistle, as his eyes tried to take in everything around him. It didn't seem possible that so many objects could be clustered together in one place. He saw swords, and dresses, flags and cannons, and lots of things that clashed in a rather comical way.

"What could Cole want from _here_?" Jay said, still in awe.

"Mmm, there are many things a man could desire in here," a voice with a rather thick accent uttered from behind them. Jay and Nya swiveled around in unison, and the cop had to bite back his laughter. The man before him was far taller than Jay would ever be, but the strange black ponytail above his head made him look pretty strange. That, along with the thin, groomed mustache gave Jay plenty of reasons to snicker. "In fact, many have killed for the artifacts in this very shop."

After taking one look at Jay's tightened lips, Nya rolled her eyes. "That's interesting and all, but we're not here to buy."

"Oh, no?" The man tilted his head, a small smile beginning to form. "Then what is it you desire, miss?"

The sickly sweet tone of his voice brought Jay's mind back to the problem at hand. He took one step forward, standing protectively before Nya. "We have a couple of questions about a customer you had a while back."

Nya pushed Jay aside. "His name was Cole Brookstone. Do you remember him?"

"Maybe I do, maybe I do not." The man began to move forward through the sea of objects. He pushed aside a couple of them, and Jay briefly spotted a small dagger, in the shape of a fang, before it was coated with other trinkets. "I am not as young as I used to be. My memory has become weak."

The man finally stopped once he reached the counter. He turned to face them one more time, "Perhaps, if you were to _buy_ some of my treasures, I'd remember a thing or two."

"How is _that_ going to help you- Oh!" Jay said, slowly realized the true meaning behind the man's words. Once again, Nya rolled her eyes.

"Perhaps. . . This lovely necklace?" The man gestured to a glass display stand beside him. A beautiful necklace glinted in the dim light, diamonds tied together with a shining black metal. "It's more than it seems. Beautiful indeed, but cursed. It will continue to tighten around the victim's neck until. . ."

Jay gulped, and the man laughed. "Or maybe, this rather unique jewelry box. Open it, and unleash the demon waiting inside."

"We're not going to buy any of your fake little artifacts," Nya said, the same anger from before glinting in her eyes. "We just want you to answer, _what_ exactly did Cole want from here?"

The man shook his head. "Fierce. I like that."

The cop's cheeks flared a bright shade of red. He reached for his badge, placing it forcefully upon the counter. "Look, just answer the questions, alright?"

"A policeman, huh? There is not much you could do to me," the man laughed. "But I like the lady. I will appease her wishes."

"This Cole man you speak of, yes, I remember him. Asked too many questions, paid too little for the answers. I cannot say his end surprised me." At this, he laughed, and Jay had the sudden urge to swing a punch at his cocky features. "He wanted to know about some of my objects, wanted to know if anybody else was interested in them."

"And?" Nya pushed.

"Well, there are many people who want my artifacts, so I could not come up with a clear answer for him." He nodded towards a small shelf beside him, where a strange book lay. "Just this morning, a funny man wished for my book of spells. Ha. He could not afford it, even if he spent his whole life working for me."

"In fact, one of your policemen has visited me before," the shopkeeper said. "Offered an interesting price for one of my pistols. Magic, you see. Never misses."

"Magic. _Right_." Jay sighed. They weren't getting _anything_ useful. "Do you know where Cole went to, after this?"

The man shrugged. "Not in my interest, what my customers do once they step outside."

"Well, did Cole buy-"

A small bell rang, announcing the entrance of another customer. The shopkeeper bowed towards Nya. "If you will excuse me, miss."

As the man headed back towards the front of the shop, Jay sighed, a small pout forming upon his face. "Well, that was worthless."

"At least we know my brother wasn't lying about leaving him here." Nya said. "That's something."

Jay nodded, "Well, we should go. I don't like this guy."

They began to walk back to the exit, but a very, very familiar voice made Jay freeze in his tracks. He felt the blood drain from his body, replaced by pure fear.

"I'm here to ask a couple of questions," Chief Garmadon said.


	10. Ghosts of the past

Chapter 10 - Ghosts of the Past

Instinctively, Jay ducked, pulling Nya down with him. The girl tried to complain, but Jay pressed his hand against her mouth. "He can't see me here. We have to sneak out."

Nya pushed his hand away. "Okay, but don't _do_ that again."

"Sorry."

Nya pushed Jay aside, keeping her body in a crouch as she led him through the maze of objects. Jay crawled behind her, doing his best not to make any sound. The chief's voice was louder now, causing the young cop's heart to beat even faster.

"We know Cole Brookstone came here before his death," the chief said, and Jay bit his lip, hoping the shopkeeper wouldn't mention _him_ asking the same questions. "I want to know what he wanted."

"So many requests in only one day!" The shopkeeper laughed. "My shop has sure gained popularity, but not for the right reasons, no."

"The faster you answer the questions, the better it'll be for you."

The shopkeeper began to move, leading Chief Garmadon away from the door. Jay's body almost sagged with relief. When Nya moved again, he followed. He heard the shopkeeper's voice again. "There are many people who have bought things from me. Why, I do remember that small worker of yours buying very powerful sleeping herbs from me a couple of months back, but names, objects, they all blur together."

Sleeping herbs? Jay frowned, his mind attempting to make connections. Before he could do anything, however, Nya pulled him forward, dragging him out the door. "I thought you _wanted_ to get out. Why'd you stay behind?"

"Sorry," Jay muttered again, "Ponytail guy was saying something about a cop buying sleeping herbs."

"Yeah, well some people _do_ have trouble sleeping you know," Nya said, and Jay noticed the slight darkness under her eyes for the first time. "Not everything's part of the mystery."

They both headed towards the car, bits of drizzling rain still falling from the sky. Nya began to tap her finger against the wheel, a stressed frown pulling at her features. Jay watched her drive, running through different conversations to snap her away from whatever mental state she'd fallen into.

"You know, if the chief was at the shop, he must have his doubts about Kai," he finally said, breaking the almost suffocating silence. "If he truly believed he was to blame; he would have left the case alone."

Nya nodded, still silent.

"So," Jay continued, refusing to give up, "that gives us more time. If the chief believes something isn't right, he'll keep Kai in the police station. As long as Kai doesn't get sent to Kryptarium Prison, we should be able to get him out pretty easily, once we prove his innocence."

"Yeah," Nya nodded again. "We just need to figure this out."

"How about we dump all the information we have and just. . ." Jay took a deep breath, "talk about it over some hot chocolate? Pretty sure I have a bit of it at home. Plus, what better way to warm up from the rain, you know?"

The cop chuckled, feeling the blush rise to his cheeks. He expected the silence to elongate, expected Nya to stop the car, tell him he was being an idiot, and make him walk the rest of the way home. But instead, she smiled. It was a small, tired smile, one Jay had grown accustomed to seeing on his own face.

"Hot chocolate does sound nice," Nya said, and Jay beamed.

Once they returned to the apartment, Cole's head snapped up, and he stood from the spot on the floor he'd been laying upon. "You're back! Did you learn anything useful?"

"I'll get the hot chocolate, then we can talk about what we've learned," Jay said, with a brief look towards the ghost. Both him, and Nya nodded, and Jay headed into the small kitchen. Cole followed him, while Nya headed towards the window.

"What, you had hot chocolate and you never offered? I thought we were friends, Jay." The ghost leaned back against the wall, chuckling slightly as he remembered Jay's initial reaction upon meeting him.

After one look at Nya to make sure she wasn't listening, Jay responded in a soft voice. "Well, you want to try and drink some, be my guest."

"No thanks," Cole answered. "I'm pretty sure I'm liquid intolerant."

Jay chuckled softly. He dug through his possessions, finally coming up with all he needed. "You know; I really need to unpack one of these days."

Once the hot chocolate was ready, Jay headed back into the living room. "Sorry about the whole. . . no furniture thing. I still haven't quite settled into this place." Jay plopped down onto the wooden floor, and with a small shrug, Nya sat beside him. "Alright, well. . . What do we know so far?"

"You're really bad at home decorating, for one," Cole commented, and Jay gladly ignored him.

"Well, there's been three murders, if you include that one teacher who got killed a couple of days ago," Nya said. "And whoever did it, _really_ likes strangling people."

"Wait," Jay shook his head. " _Three_ murders? There was Cole, the teacher. . . and I thought that was it."

"You know that little town that got nearly wiped out by one of the earthquakes? Two days before, a man was murdered there."

"Huh," Jay frowned. "Then two out of the three had _something_ to do with the earthquakes. The ones Cole was investigating. So we can assume he found out too much, and that's why he's dead."

"That's if we _believe_ what Cole was looking into was more than just gibberish." Nya said. "It's just hard to believe _someone_ could be causing these things, but it does give us a connection between everything."

"And we can't overlook that," the cop nodded, taking a small sip of his drink. "But that still doesn't give us many suspects. The shopkeeper seemed pretty suspicious, but if Cole went to the shop, why wait until he's back in his apartment to kill him?"

"It'd be a smart thing to do, if he wanted himself crossed out of the suspect list." Nya pointed out. "He's definitely hiding something. Murderer or not, there's something in that shop Cole needed. Maybe the chief will figure out what it was."

"Whoa, the chief was there?" Cole's eyes widened. "Man you _are_ unlucky, aren't you?"

"No way he'll share any clues with me though." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, an idea sparked in Jay's mind. He shifted his eyes towards the ghost. "If only there was a way for us to know what he found out."

Cole smirked, giving Jay a brief salute. "Spying on people? Now _that_ I can do."

The ghost stood, then headed through the door of the apartment. Jay turned back towards Nya, whose eyes were focused upon her cup. Jay noticed it was still full, heat beginning to dwindle down. "I'm sure we'll figure this out. We'll prove Kai's innocence, and put whoever killed Cole behind bars. Don't worry about it."

"Don't _worry_ about it?" Nya almost laughed. "How can I not? It's all I know how to do at this point. First, Kai and I lose both of our parents. We _barely_ get through that. Then he's fine, and he finds someone to connect with at his job. Then that person ends up dying too. It's like we ride one tragedy after the other. Kai ending up in jail sounds more likely at this point."

"I'm sorry," Jay quickly added, feeling slightly startled at the sudden outburst. "But I'll have to disagree. He's not going to end up in jail. We're going to get him out. And I don't think you truly believe you two are destined to have bad luck. If you did, you wouldn't have done as much as you have."

Nya looked up, and Jay continued. "I mean, when it happened. . . You came out here, ready to solve it all on your own. So you _do_ know it can be done."

"Well, I couldn't just _not_ try to do something," the girl said, settling her cup down. "Kai's all I have, you know?"

"You _will_ get him back," Jay's voice was a bit firmer now, and he was surprised at his own confidence. "I can promise you that."

"Can you?" Nya lowered her eyes. "I suppose we'll just have to see what happens."

Silence fell over them. Jay watched Nya's hands begin to tap against her leg. He recognized the movements all too well. As the atmosphere around them began to grow heavier, Jay looked through his mind, desperately searching for a way to help the girl before him.

"You know how I said my parents travel a lot?"

Nya looked up, merely raising her eyebrow in question.

"They actually don't," Jay chuckled, feeling the usual blush upon his cheeks. "They have a trailer, because they live in a junkyard. Growing up there was. . . quite the experience. Didn't have too many friends. I mean, who wants to hang out around a kid who smells like trash all the time? Now, if _that_ didn't chase them away, my parents would. They're unique, to say the least."

"My parents were pretty nice." Nya's voice was soft, "but I didn't exactly have friends, either. We grew up in a pretty small town, you know, with the whole 'girls play this and boys play that' idea pretty deeply embedded. But dolls and those things were never really anything I enjoyed."

Jay smiled. "I bet. A girl who can punch like you didn't spend her childhood playing dress-up."

"Oh, I dressed up alright." Nya's lips mimicked Jay's smile. "I was more into pretending I was a samurai though."

"I'd pretend to be a ninja every once in a while. Fighting to keep Ninjago City safe! I'd make up all sorts of adventures." The cop laughed. "I didn't have any siblings, so I had to find a way to entertain myself. Luckily, that's not too hard to do when you live in a junkyard."

"Well, looks like you're living the dream then, now that you're a cop and all."

"Yeah . . ." Jay shrugged. "Just have to get used to it. I'm not the best at dealing with people, and I don't think I've made a good first impression."

"Well, if it means anything, I think you're alright."

The cop's blush deepened, and his smile grew wider. "Heh. Thanks."

"Now, how about you tell me more about these so called adventures of yours? Bet they're not half as exciting as _mine_."

* * *

Once Cole was out the door, he headed straight for Garmadon's apartment. The first thing his eyes went to was the TV, flashing with bright colors. It seemed to be a cartoon about a space hero, and something about it scratched at a memory within him. Cole looked away. He had a job to do.

Lloyd was sitting on the couch, his eyes wide and mouth even wider. Cole smiled, then briefly wondered what _his_ own childhood had been like. Had he had a favorite cartoon, too? Had he ever stayed up past his bed time, maybe too immersed inside a book to care? What had his friends been like?

"Lloyd, please help me set up the table. Your dad will be home soon." Cole turned back towards the voice, watching as Misako stepped out of the kitchen with a couple of plates in her hands. Lloyd pouted, then sighed, reaching for the remote in order to turn off the TV.

"Okay, mom," he said, rushing to help.

Within seconds, the table had been set. Cole stood out of the way, watching as mother and son did their best to make a simple set up look welcoming. They managed to do an outstanding job. Cole felt a wave of longing.

"What do you think dad did today?" Lloyd said, pulling on a chair then climbing onto it.

"Lots of cool stuff." Misako ran a hand through her son's hair. "Why don't you ask him?"

"I will!"

Minutes later, Garmadon walked inside. Cole noticed his usual tired, angry features fading away into something more welcoming. Lloyd's eyes instantly lit up, and he stood up on his chair. "Dad!"

"Hey there, kiddo," Garmadon smiled, and Cole stared in amazement. "How was school today?"

" _Boring_ ," Lloyd said, slowly sinking back into his seat. "Well, me and Brad managed to scare Gene pretty badly. Now _that_ was fun."

Garmadon shook his head. "Don't get into trouble now."

"I won't, I won't."

"So how was _your_ day?" Misako said, setting the food down on the table. Garmadon pulled her in for a kiss, and both Cole and Lloyd grimaced.

"Same as usual," Garmadon shrugged, sitting down across from Lloyd. "Flintlock thinks he found. . . The one who's been behind everything, but I don't know. Something isn't quite right. I went to talk to this man about it today, but boy he was frustrating. Didn't really give me anything I didn't already know."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Once they were all seated, Lloyd jumped for the food, shoving it into his mouth. Misako gave him a look, which Lloyd responded to with an innocent smile. Cole chuckled.

"I sure hope so. I hate to think the man who killed Cole and Wu is still-"

Garmadon froze, flinching at his words. Misako covered her mouth with her hand, a small gasp escaping her lips. Lloyd's eyes shot up towards his father.

" _I tried to shield Lloyd from it, he's too young to understand these things. I'd appreciate it if you didn't. . . say anything."_

Cole remembered Misako's words, and felt the tension in the room grow. His hands turned into fists, and he wished he could reach out to the kid, watching as his green eyes glazed over his tears.

"Killed?" Lloyd turned towards his mother, a silent plea glowing in his eyes. "You said. . . Said he went away."

"Lloyd I . . . I didn't want you to worry, I just . . ."

Garmadon placed his hand on top of Misako's, giving it a gentle squeeze. " _We_ thought it would be best to not . . . Worry about this too much."

"So you _lied?_ " Lloyd pushed himself away from the table. "He's _dead_ and you _lied_."

"Lloyd, please."

"No!" Lloyd shouted, stomping his small foot, tears running freely now. "You lied! He's . . . Cole's . . ."

With a few shuddering breaths and a shake of his head, Lloyd ran to his room, slamming the door shut. Cole followed.

The kid was hidden under a thick green blanket, small body occasionally shaking with sobs. Cole looked around the room, eyes lingering on the multiple drawings plastered around the wall. He recognized himself in a couple of them, and memories blurred in and out of his mind.

" _I'm going to eat the most popsicles in a day," Lloyd announced proudly, hands on hips. "Break the world record!"_

 _Cole laughed, handing him another popsicle. "Oh yeah? I'll write a story all about it."_

" _Then every kid in the world will want to be like me!" The kid took the next popsicle. "Do you think I'll be famous?"_

" _Oh, without a doubt, kid."_

 _They heard footsteps down the hall. Then quickly recognized Misako's voice as she began to shout Lloyd's name. "Lloyd! Where_ are _you_?"

" _Uh oh," Cole and Lloyd exchanged glances, looking down at the mess of popsicle sticks around them._

Cole's eyes wandered over to the next image, hungry for more information about himself.

" _He did it again," Lloyd sniffed, wiping away a mess of tears. "Gene told everyone my dad would put them in jail if they tried to be my friend. Now even Brad's scared of me!"_

" _Aw, what?" Cole shook his head. "Brad should know better."_

" _But he doesn't, and now no one wants to play with me!"_

"I _still wanna play with you." Cole reached down, picking up the small boy. "How about we go get some ice cream, and think of a battle plan to get back at Gene?"_

 _Lloyd chuckled a bit. "Okay!"_

Next image.

" _Duck!" Lloyd shouted, dropping to the ground. Cole followed suit, and they both dodged an invisible attack from an imaginary enemy. Lloyd's face glowed with determination. "Phew! That was close."_

" _We've got this," Cole said, handing Lloyd a stick, then reached for one himself. He held it before him as if it were a sword. "C'mon, kid. Team attack."_

 _Lloyd nodded. "Team attack."_

Cole sat upon the bed, sighing. He'd felt useless. He couldn't even help a kid. Focusing on his hand, Cole gently placed it upon Lloyd's shoulder. "I'm here little buddy."

The kid stiffened for a brief moment, then slowly began to relax. Cole stayed, waiting for Lloyd's sobs to turn into silent breathing, as he slowly drifted off to sleep.


	11. Dead as a doornail

Chapter 11 - Dead As a Doornail

"Wow, the chief looks awful."

Flintlock muttered something in response, not bothering to look in Jay's direction. Jay wasn't surprised. Flintlock seemed like the kind of person who could hold grudges for quite a long time. Cole, on the other hand, was a bit more responsive.

"I told you," he said, voice low, a far more serious tone than anything Jay had ever heard before. "He accidentally let it slip to Lloyd that I'm dead. Kid's probably still upset. That can't feel very good."

Jay nodded and sighed. Compared to Chief Garmadon's night, Jay's had gone far, _far_ better. Talking to Nya had been wonderful. They'd spent hours doing so, bouncing stories back and forth, barely aware of the time ticking away. Jay was glowing with joy once Cole finally returned, but the grim look on his face erased most of the feelings Nya had left him with.

A small part of him felt angry at the turn of events. He wished he could bounce of the walls, sharing his happiness with his ghostly friend, but Jay bit his tongue and stepped back, offering as much support as he could. Cole's mood, however, remained as dark as ever.

The day went by in a sort of strange blur, with mixed feelings flowing throughout Jay's mind. Cole was silent, with none of his usual remarks sprinkled throughout the day. Flintlock wasn't any better. With nothing but silence as a companion, Jay's mind worked to find a new way to continue Cole's case. The sliver of an idea began to form, giving him enough energy to get through the uncomfortable minutes. When Jay was finally able to step out of the patrol car for lunch, his shoulders sagged with relief.

"I need to find a way to talk to Kai," Jay suggested, while Cole merely nodded. "Pythor has helped us before. I don't know how much power he has in this place, but it's worth a shot, don't you think?"

"Yeah."

Jay sighed, wishing he could get more than one word. He felt a strange sense of loneliness clinging to his mind, but he shook it away, willing himself to focus on the task at hand. He stepped inside the station, almost running straight into the man he was looking for.

"Ack!" Pythor jumped back, holding a hand to his heart. "Whoa there. Hello, Jay."

"Hey," Jay said. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, it was merely an accident." The short man shook his head, then smiled. "Either way. . . I haven't seen you in quite a bit. You haven't forgotten about me, have you?"

"Of course not!" The cop chuckled softly, scratching the back of his head. "I, uh, I was actually looking for you."

"Were you now?" Pythor raised an eyebrow. "I'm assuming you need a favor then, hmm?"

Jay nodded slowly, feeling a bit guilty. Had he ever called the man for something other than a favor? "Actually. . . Yeah. I was just wondering if there was any way for me to talk to Kai. It's pretty important."

"Ah," the small man said, "but I thought the chief had personally warned you against this case?"

"He did. . ."

"Well in that case," Pythor looked down at his watch, then back up at Jay. "You have about 30 minutes to get away with it, before the chief comes back from lunch. The man who is watching the cells now, Karloff, isn't very bright. Tell him the chief ordered you to talk to Kai. He won't want to get in any sort of trouble, so he'll leave you be."

Jay smiled widely, nodding with excitement. "Alright, got it! Thank you so much."

"Just don't forget you do owe me a couple of favors now," Pythor smirked, then rushed out of the door.

"Now, to Kai," Jay muttered to himself, heading towards the small section of holding cells within the station. Cole glided along silently, and Jay was forced to look back multiple times to assure himself that his silent friend hadn't gone anywhere.

As they rounded the corner, Jay spotted a thick, heavily bearded man, who could only be Karloff. The blue-eyed cop froze, not wanting to imagine what the big man would do if he found out Jay had lied to him. He shivered. It wouldn't be pretty.

Cole leaned back against the wall, waiting for his friend to keep moving. Jay looked at him. "What, no witty comment to urge me forward?"

The ghost shrugged. "I got nothing."

Jay looked from Cole to Karloff. Maybe, if they made a breakthrough in the case, Cole would feel a bit better. And if they could prove that Kai was innocent soon, Nya would stop worrying. A lot of things would slowly get better. With one nod to himself, Jay walked forward.

"Hey there!" He half-shouted, "I, uh, Chief wanted me to talk to the prisoner. Well, uh, prisoner sounds kinda silly, doesn't it? Makes me think of- I mean, well, can I talk to Kai please? I just have a couple of questions. I want to surprise the chief before he comes back from lunch."

Karloff looked down at Jay, his seemingly permanent frown never changing.

"I just need. . . Maybe ten minutes. You can go, uh, take a break."

"Do not cause trouble," Karloff growled, stepping away from the cell. "You cause trouble, you regret it."

Jay shivered again, letting out a long slow breath. "Well. That went pretty well."

"Jay?" A shadow from within the cell stepped forward. Kai stepped into the light, his eyes blazing with fury. "Oh boy. You're lucky you're on the other side of these bars."

"Hey, hey, hey." Jay threw up his hands, taking a step back. "I didn't put you here. The chief asked me to tell him everything, and when I did, I guess they decided you seemed to be guilty, but I'm trying to prove them wrong."

"Uh huh, and why should I believe you?"

"Well, you don't have to," Jay shrugged, "but I'm the only one who can _actually_ help you. So you don't have that much of a choice."

Kai scowled.

"Now, I. . . I've been thinking. We're focusing too much on the killer himself. I think, maybe, if we follow Cole's footsteps instead, we'll wind up with an answer a bit faster." At his words, Cole raised his eyebrows, stepping away from the wall and moving closer to the conversation. "So . . . I need to know everything you remember about what he was investigating."

"I already told you. He thought the earthquakes were someone else's fault. Unnatural. There's nothing logical about it. I doubt it's going to help you"

"Just humor me," Jay said. "Did he say anything _else_?"

"Well. . . The last time I saw him, he _was_ blabbering about something called a 'fang blade'." Kai's eyes were lowered, as he searched through his memories. "Whoever's causing the earthquakes would need four of them, to awaken the 'Great Devourer'. A giant snake. So, tell me, does that help any?"

" _I_ could have told you about the fang blades." Cole said. "I . . . I remembered that a while back. I guess I never got around to telling you, but Kai's right. I mean. . . It's a nice thought and all, but the fang blades and my theories aren't going to help."

Jay ignored both of their pressing doubt, and continued. "And this fang blade. What. . . What exactly does it look like?"

"Well," Kai shrugged. "Like a dagger, but in the shape of a fang. I mean, fang _blade_. The name pretty much explains itself."

"Fang blade." Jay echoed Kai's words, rummaging through everything he'd witnessed. His mind ran back to the shop. That shop. Cole had gone there for a reason. His mind clicked on an image, a small dagger, in the shape of a fang. The one the shopkeeper's movements had accidentally blocked from his view. Unless, of course, it hadn't been an accident at all. "The shop. That's what you wanted from there isn't it?"

Jay's eyes were glowing, Cole shrugged. "I . . . can't recall, but it's possible."

"Uh, no?" Kai said. "I went there to find out what _Cole_ wan-"

"Yeah, yeah." Jay waved Kai off. "It's the shopkeeper. It has to be. Come on. He's so busted."

"I . . . Can't?" Jay barely heard Kai's confused tone, as he was already rushing to the exit of the station.

He burst through the doors, with Cole rushing behind. "What do you mean, 'it's the shopkeeper'?"

"He had one. He had the fang blade. And you went there because you _knew_. You must have confronted him. That's why he decided to get rid of you." Jay said, nearly out of breath. "He's the last person who saw you."

"Yeah, but . . . if he had me right there, why did he wait for me to get back to my apartment?"

"To throw us off his scent. I mean, it obviously worked didn't it? He plays innocent, pretends to 'help' and he gets himself crossed of the list, but I know what I saw." The cop laughed. "Busted!"

Jay pushed the shop's door open. He expected the shopkeeper to rush at the door, attempt to push Jay into buying something or other than he didn't need, but nobody came.

"Uh," Jay cleared his throat. "NPD here. I need to ask you some questions."

Silence answered back, and Cole moved further into the shop. "Maybe he bailed? I mean, with both you and Garmadon asking questions, he must have panicked."

"Why leave the door open then?" Jay shook his head, feeling goosebumps crawling up his arms. Something wasn't right. His eyes shifted from shadow to shadow, expecting the shopkeeper to jump out at any moment. "I better not be walking into a trap."

"Oh man," Cole's soft voice came from the end of the shop. Jay struggled past the messy shelves, trying to reach his friend. "I don't think it's a trap. And I don't think this is our guy."

"Why?"

But Cole didn't have to answer. Jay's eyes locked onto the answer. The shopkeeper lay across the counter, eyes open, but empty. The cop felt his stomach twist upon itself. "He's dead."

"Yeah, no doubt." Cole leaned closer, and Jay covered his mouth. "But. . . He wasn't strangled. His neck is unmarked. Maybe it _wasn't_ the same person."

"Maybe," Jay agreed. "Can we go now? We should probably get the chief. . ."

"Wait," Cole moved back into the rows of shelves, pushing and shoving, and digging through the piles of junk. "Where did you see the fang blade?"

"Uh," Jay forced his eyes to move away from the dead man, and towards Cole. "It should have been somewhere in there. It was beneath a bunch of other stuff."

"Help me look."

Reluctantly, Jay kneeled down, pushing the objects around, searching for the small dagger, but there was nothing to be found. No matter how many things Cole and Jay looked through, there was nothing but unfamiliar trinkets.

"It's gone," Jay said. "Maybe someone bought it."

"No," Cole shook his head. "Whoever's behind all of this _took_ it."

* * *

"Poison!?"

"That's what it looks like," Flintlock smirked, hands on hips. "Must've killed him quick. He didn't look like he'd been dead for too long. We'll have to wait and see how the reports go."

"So . . . Definitely not the strangler guy," Jay said, and Flintlock nodded again, smile widening.

"I told you, there were no marks on his neck, Jay." Cole stood beside him, watching as different people rushed in and out of the crime scene. The usual yellow tape had been set up outside the shop, warning people away.

"Yup, not him."

"Why are _you_ so happy?" The blue-eyed cop asked, and Flintlock only chuckled, nodding towards Chief Garmadon as he began to approach them. Jay shifted his attention towards him.

"Good job, Flintlock. I suppose I have no choice but to admit you caught the right guy. Whoever this was. . . It seems to be unrelated to the past murders." Garmadon nodded, and Flintlock beamed with pride. "I hope you'll help us track down whoever murdered this man too. There might soon be a promotion in your path."

"But . . ." Jay shook his head. "Kai's innocent."

Chief Garmadon looked down at Jay, who began to wish he hadn't opened his mouth. "I thought I had asked you to step out of the case. Kai's guilt is none of your concern, Officer Walker."

"He wants to find out who killed me as much as you do. Remember Lloyd," Cole said, and Jay nodded slightly, forcing himself to stand with a little more confident. The chief didn't exactly look like the nicest guy around, but at the end of the day, all he wanted was for things to be resolved.

"I just want whoever killed Cole to be put to justice," Jay said. "And I think you do too, sir."

Garmadon's eyes flashed with sadness, although it was gone far too fast. "And they will be. There is nothing more to do here, Walker."

"No, no." Jay shook his head, looking from Flintlock to the chief. "Something isn't right. It _isn't_ Kai. There must be something that we're missing. Kai told me he didn't-"

Chief Garmadon raised his hand, silencing Jay's outburst. "And, did it ever occur to you that he might have been lying?"

"I. . ." Jay felt a wave of dizziness hit him. His stomach twisted upon itself, and he stumbled back. Nya, Kai. . . Why wouldn't they lie for each other? Maybe Jay _had_ been too quick to trust. Too naïve. He shook his head.

"It's over, kid. There's nothing more to worry about." Garmadon patted Jay's shoulder, his voice far softer than anything Jay had ever heard before. "Let's just get back to work."


	12. A ticking clock

Chapter 12 – A Ticking Clock

"You really don't think Kai did it?"

"No."

"You really don't think Nya's lying to me?"

"No."

"And. . . You're sure?"

"Yes," Cole sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. Jay sat in front of him, cross-legged, fingers tapping against his knees. Ever since Garmadon had decided the shopkeeper's death proved Kai guilty, Jay's insecurities had bubbled to the surface. The ghost didn't mind assuring his friend he wasn't being toyed with, but the repeating questions were beginning to get on his nerves.

"But. . . I mean, Nya could have stolen the fang blade, could have killed the shopkeeper. They could be behind it. Maybe I just _want_ her to be good," Jay said, the new, dark realm of possibilities spreading before him. "And Kai _was_ pretty jealous of you. I mean, he could've done it. We haven't proved that he didn't."

"Then why would Nya come and ask for help?" Cole's voice was thick with annoyance. He'd pointed out the same things to Jay over and over, but he just wasn't listening. "You were already off of the case."

"See, but _she_ didn't know that. Maybe she wanted to keep tabs on me, make sure I didn't come up with an answer on my own."

"Jay, I really don't know what to tell you anymore." Cole closed his eyes, listening as rain began to splatter against the window. "I told you what I think, and you just keep talking in circles. It's getting a bit frustrating."

"I'm sorry, it's just. . ."

"We can't know for sure until we solve it, right?" the ghost said. "So, let's keep at it. Find more clues. Stressing and mumbling about it is _not_ going to do anything."

Jay looked down, trying to calm the nerves and fears going around in his brain. He knew Cole was right, but it was hard to focus on anything. So many things could go wrong. "Fine, more clues, but from where? We've exhausted every-"

Jay's phone rang, loudly, the sound vibrating through the empty space. Both Jay and Cole jolted at the sound. The cop reached forward, raising an eyebrow. "It's Nya."

"You gave her your number?"

"She gave me hers," Jay shrugged, then answered, pressing the phone against his ear. His stomach twisted. "H-hey, Nya."

 _They're taking him away, Jay. Tomorrow. They're taking him to Kryptarium Prison._

Her voice shook with emotion. Jay's heart ached with guilt. "They. . . Are?"

 _I don't know what changed. I don't know what to do anymore_

"You know the man we talked to yesterday? He's dead, but he was poisoned. Not strangled. So they think Kai _must_ be guilty."

"Really stupid logic if you ask me," Cole shook his head.

 _That's. . . Dumb._ Nya sniffled. _I can't let it happen. I don't want to be alone._

"We'll get him out. It's not tomorrow yet, huh?" Jay chuckled.

 _It's not funny._

"Right." The man cleared his throat. "I'm sorry."

 _Heck, I'd even break him out of jail if it got to it. He's innocent. I know he is._

"Don't do that," Jay said, knowing the girl wasn't anywhere near joking. "Give me until tomorrow. I'll figure it out. I promise. Will you be okay until then?"

 _Not really._

"Well . . . I promise I'll get him out anyway. Just . . . Stay as okay as you can. Call me again if you need anything."

 _Alright._ Nya's voice was a bit softer now. Jay's heart ached. He wished he'd never doubted her, wished he hadn't wasted time questioning himself, when he could have been _doing_ something.

"Bye."

 _Hey, Jay?_

"Yeah?"

 _Thanks for listening._

"That's no problem," Jay smiled. "I'll . . . I'll call you as soon as I come up with something."

 _Alright_.

With a swipe of his finger, Jay ended the call, then allowed himself to crumple backwards onto the ground. His head hit the floorboards with a dull _thud!_ "Ow. . . Okay. Well. Everything's just dandy now. Kai's getting taken away tomorrow. Nya feels awful. And I promised I'd help, but I've got nothing to go on! How the _heck_ am I supposed to solve the case?"

"Uh," Cole's eyes grew wide, realization clicking in his mind. "How about we worry about saving Kai's life first."

"Saving . . . Kai's life?" Jay raised one of his eyebrows, slowly returning to a sitting position. "I know Kryptarium Prison is bad, but I don't think they're going to _kill_ Kai."

"No, no." The ghost shook his head. "The earthquakes. One after every murder. Guess where the next one will be?"

"The shop," Jay's mind slowly made the connection, "With the strength those things carry. . . The station will bite the dust too."

"Along with Kai."

"We need to get him out of there." Jay jumped to his feet. "Pythor, Karloff. . . Someone's still gotta be there. Maybe we can find a way to convince them to let him out."

"That sounds insanely impossible," Cole pointed out.

"Yeah, well, we don't have any other option, do we?" The cop slipped on a small blue jacket, rushing for the door. His hands shook as he reached for the knob, fear pulsing through him. If he didn't get there in time . . .

"And also," Cole pointed at the window, where the rain continued to grow stronger. "This one's all you."

Jay froze, panic clawing at his mind. He couldn't do it alone. "I . . ."

"I'll be here. You go save some lives. I know you'll figure something out."

The cop took a deep breath, then nodded, using Cole's words to fuel himself forward. "Don't disappear."

Cole smiled. "Don't get yourself killed."

"So not funny," Jay said, but smiled slightly before running out the door.

Once outside, the rain drenched him within seconds. It was hard to see ahead, but he'd memorized the path to the station. All he had to do was trust his memory. Jay began to trot, then run, thoughts of the earthquake beating him to Kai causing him to move faster.

Jay reached the station, skidding to a stop before the double glass doors.

He didn't step inside.

The door to the shop had caught his eye. It was open, yellow tape ripped apart, the words _DO NOT CROSS_ uselessly waving in the wind. Jay turned, slowly crossing the street. His heart began to beat faster. Everything inside him warned him to turn back, get Kai, and move as far from this place as humanly possible.

But a small part of him burned with curiosity. Knowing that the answer to everything was most likely awaiting him inside.

Jay stepped in, wiping away the bits of rain blocking his vision. A figure stood before him, fang blade in hand.

"Ah, Walker. Looks like you're a bit smarter than I gave you credit for."

* * *

Cole felt very, very uneasy.

Sending Jay away began to feel more and more like a terrible idea. Maybe he would be able to get Kai out, then return. And maybe Jay would stumble upon the killer. Cole shook his head. He couldn't stay here. If he didn't do something, the voices in his mind would overwhelm him.

He stood, heading for the door. The usual feeling of dread and warning filled him as he began to step outside the apartment. Cole had grown used to it, waved it away as nothing more than a nuisance.

But this time, things were different.

Before Cole could step through, a wave of pain ran through him, sending his mind into the now familiar darkness.

" _I'm coming, jeezh." Cole shook his head as another wave of impatient knocks rattled his door. The man reached for the handle, his hand freezing inches away from it. He felt a slight wave of fear. The knocks came again, jolting him back into reality. Cole opened the door. "How can I help you?"_

 _Before him stood a small, rather bizarre looking man. White, well-groomed hair. Eyes glinting with an unsettling shade of purple. The man smiled, a friendly gesture, but Cole's arms were filled with goosebumps. "You're Cole Brookstone, aren't you?"_

" _Yes? Who are you?" Suspicion glinted in Cole's eyes, hands instinctively turning into fists._

" _I'm a fan of your work," the man laughed. Cole didn't. The man held up his arm, showing off a small fang-shaped dagger. "Perhaps you recognize this?"_

" _You're-" Cole's words ended there. The man was fast, and he seemed to be rather insane. With one swift movement, his slammed the hilt of the dagger against Cole's head. Cole stumbled back._

" _Yes. I'm the one behind the earthquakes. Your research is quite impressive. I didn't think anyone would do anything. Not until it was too late anyway." The man kicked Cole down, throwing the dagger aside and wrapping his hands tightly around Cole's throat. "But you had to poke your nose where it didn't belong. Curiosity killed the cat, you know."_

 _The white-haired man loomed above him, his hands tightening more and more around his throat. Cole tried to struggled, but there was nothing he could do. He was too tired. Too weak._

" _Think you can try and stop me, huh?" The voice of his killer laughed. "I have to admit, Cole Brookstone, you're pretty smart."_

 _He couldn't fight the darkness around his vision anymore. It was swallowing him. Cole knew it would end soon. He felt regret wash over him, thinking of the last moments he'd spent with his father._

 _Had any of it been worth it?_

 _Either way, he'd lost, hadn't he?_

" _Just not smart enough."_

 _Cole had to agree._

Cole snapped out of the vision, gasping for breath and instinctively reaching for his throat. His killer. He'd seen him before, at the station, one of the few willing to lend Jay a hand.

 _He plays innocent, pretends to 'help' and he gets himself crossed of the list._

Jay's voice echoed in the ghost's mind.

 _Pythor, Karloff. . . Someone's still gotta be there._

And of course, Pythor _would_ be there, but he wouldn't be as welcoming as Jay expected him to be. Cole turned towards the rain, cursing it silently. He had to get to the station, but how? If rain touched him, he would be dead.

The ghost's eyes sparked up, a small idea flaring in his mind.

His dead image wouldn't hold, but a living body would.


	13. In Between

Chapter 13 - In Between

Cole rushed to Garmadon's apartment, his new, rather dangerous, idea running through his mind. He'd never tried to take away someone's body before. There was no guarantee that it would work. It more than likely required a type of strength that Cole didn't have.

But he had to send Jay help. If he managed to bring Garmadon to the station before things unraveled too far, the chief would stop everything in its tracks. Arrest Pythor. prevent the earthquake.

Save Jay's life.

"How was Lloyd today?" Garmadon asked. Cole noticed him sitting at the dinner table, staring at the meal before him instead of eating. The happy scene from the night before was gone.

Misako sat in front of him, hands braiding and unbraiding her hair. "He just needs time."

"Right." The chief shook his head. "It's just hard."

"Sorry about this," Cole said, slowly stepping inside Garmadon's body. The ghost closed his eyes, trying to focus on taking over. Once we reopened them, Cole felt a small sense of victory. It had worked. He could now see the world through the chief's eyes, but Cole was merely a visitor. Garmadon's mind refused to listen to any of his commands.

 _Move. Come on. Jay's in trouble._

He could feel his body, or rather Garmadon's, tense, but the man made no actual attempt to move. The chief shook his head, massaging his temple. "I think I'd better get some sleep."

 _No!_

The second the thought emerged from Cole's mind, he was thrown back, out of Garmadon's body. The sudden lack of physicality made him momentarily dizzy. He watched as Garmadon pushed back his chair, gathering his plate, before stepping into the kitchen.

"That sounds good. You can't keep pushing yourself. There will be no more murders. It's over, and Lloyd will come back around." As Misako said this, Cole pushed himself back to his feet. There had to be another way to get Garmadon to the station.

He looked at Misako, wondering if her mind would be equal to her husband's. Then he turned his head down the hall, eyes locking onto the door to Lloyd's room.

* * *

"Pythor?"

"Indeed," the man smiled, twirling the glowing fang blade in his hand. Jay's eyes widened, pieces slowly clicking together. He felt his stomach drop, watching as Pythor pulled up a small black gun with his free hand. "I must admit, I didn't think anyone would show, but I did come prepared. I don't know why I wasted all my time strangling people. Working carefully to erase every fingerprint. A gun would have made the job far easier."

"But you're . . . you." Jay shook his head, taking a small step back. "I never thought-"

"Ah, so you _didn't_ figure it out." Pythor laughed. "What were you doing here then? Trying to find some last minute clues? Find a way to free your little friend?"

"The earthquakes," Jay said, choosing each of his words carefully. Every second they spent talking, was a second Jay _wasn't_ getting shot at. "One after each murder."

"Good observation," the man nodded, walking around the cluttered objects, kicking them aside. His eyes shifted left and right, as if he were searching for something. "I suppose you also know about the little fang blades then?"

"Four fang blades," Jay nodded. He began to look around as well, searching for a way to stop the man before him. "To unleash. . . The Great Devourer? You can't really believe that, can you?"

"Believe it? My dear boy, we've both _seen_ how true the myths are." Jay slowly stepped forward, trying to keep his sight on the man. Pythor raised the gun, aiming it straight at the cop's chest. "I suggest you stay still. Or not. Either way, you'll be dead before sunrise."

"This. . . earthquake thingy. It's supposed to wipe everything out, isn't it? That means you too, doesn't it?"

Pythor's eyes lit up, and Jay watched as he uncovered a couple of strange markings on the floor. There was a small slot in the center of it all, big enough for the fang blade to find comfortably inside. "You're right. It's a small price to pay, don't you think? This world, _needs_ to be wiped out. We need a new beginning."

"And I'm more than willing to be the start of it all."

* * *

Lloyd sat at his desk, scribbling away with his crayons, as usual. Cole stepped forward, stopping just behind the small child. "Please don't freak out, little buddy."

The ghost stepped inside Lloyd's body, and the connection was almost instant. Lloyd dropped the crayon he had been holding, eyes widening in surprise. Cole willed the boy to stand. Lloyd did.

He could feel the fear and confusion spread throughout the kid, the panic making it harder for him to be controlled. Despite this, Lloyd still wasn't strong enough to fight back. Cole felt a slight wave of guilt. _Don't be scared. You've got to trust me._

Unlike Garmadon's quiet, closed off mind, Lloyd's scared voice responded. _Who are you?_

 _Cole._ The moment the ghost revealed his identity, he felt Lloyd's mind relax. Cole moved the boy's body forward, slowly growing used to his temporary home. Through the kid's eyes, the world seemed much, much bigger.

"I've got a plan." Cole's control over Lloyd's body was almost absolute. He was surprised to hear his own words come from the kid's mouth. "You remember Jay?"

 _Uh huh._ Lloyd's mind was briefly filled with the memories he held of the young, blue eyed officer. Cole smiled.

"He's in trouble. I can't go out in the rain alone. So I need to borrow your body for a little bit." The slight fear returned to Lloyd's mind. Cole continued. "We have to save him together. Teamwork?"

The boy's mind was filled with resolve. _Teamwork._

* * *

"I think the world's pretty good." Jay took one careful step forward, watching Pythor's eyes. The man was studying the symbols closely, excitement pulsing within his pupils. "I mean, sure, it kinda sucks to live in it sometimes, but maybe wiping everything away is a _bit_ eccentric."

"Perhaps if you'd worked at the station long enough, you'd be more willing to understand." Pythor's eyes rose back to Jay's. The cop froze. "People will do _horrible_ things. They're all just a bunch of selfish brats, clawing away at each other, stepping on everyone in order to rise to the top. There's nothing worth saving anymore."

"That's not true." Jay thought of Cole, Nya, Lloyd, even Garmadon. He didn't think any of them deserved to die. "There's plenty of things. I mean, I'll agree, people can be . . . difficult, but that doesn't mean we don't deserve a chance to get better."

"We've had hundreds upon hundreds of years." Pythor shook his head, looking back down. He lowered the gun, focusing on the fang blade instead. "And guess what? We're still as bad as when we started, if not worse."

"Sorry, but I like living a bit too much to let you do this in good conscience." Jay ran forward, kicking the nearest shelf with as much force as he could. Unbalanced and overstuffed as it already was, it toppled sideways, crashing into the shelf beside it, creating a domino effect. Pythor growled, pushing himself back, just in time to avoid being crushed. The strange markings were buried.

Pythor laughed, raising the gun again. "Really?"

"Seemed like a good idea." Jay chuckled nervously. "I mean, I was hoping it would, I don't know, trap your leg or something."

"I have _hours_ before anyone will even _think_ of stepping into this shop," Pythor said. "So let's see. Maybe an hour to move aside all these petty trinkets. And no more than a second to wipe you out. Seems like your one chance at saving the world was wasted."

Pythor fired.

* * *

"Lloyd!" Garmadon shouted in surprise, as the small kid ran out of his room, heading for the front door.

"Jay's in trouble," Cole said, using Lloyd's voice. "We've got to help."

Cole ran forward, not bothering to look back. Garmadon would follow. Jay or not, the chief wasn't about to allow his son to run away. Once they were outside, Cole flinched slightly, fearing the touch of the water, but he'd been right. Lloyd's body could care less about the rain.

They kept running, using Cole's memories to pinpoint the path to the police station. The ghost laughed, enjoying the feel of the wind, the rapid heartbeat, and the rhythmic breath spilling from the kid's lungs. Even if it was only for a moment, even if it wasn't quite real, for now, he was alive.

He was _alive_.

The echoing sound of a gunshot snapped him back to his reality, but the sound hadn't come from the station. It had emerged from the shop, where the yellow tape had been carelessly ripped apart. Dread washed over Cole, the worst case scenario imprinting itself upon his mind.

He hoped he wasn't too late.

* * *

Jay dodged out of the way, jumping behind the toppled shelves just in time. The cop laughed, more from the nerves and adrenaline than anything. "Looks like I'll get another _shot_ at saving the world after all, huh?"

"Don't be so sure."

The cop crawled forward, keeping his eyes on the crazed man. Pythor's eyes shifted left and right, aiming his gun at every moving shadow. Jay looked at the objects around him, searching for something, anything, he could use as a weapon.

He spotted a small, bronze tea pot, which seemed heavy enough to deal a good amount of damage. Jay reached forward, wrapping his fingers around the cold handle.

"What do you think you'll accomplish? A couple more minutes of your sad little life?"

Jay wasn't listening. He moved forward, trying to find a silent path through the fallen trinkets. If he could get behind Pythor, Jay would have the advantage. Hopefully a well-placed hit would-

 _Bam!_

The door slammed open, making both Jay and Pythor jolt. A small child stepped inside. Jay gasped, as he recognized the chief's son. Once the door shut, Cole's ghostly figured stepped out of the kid's body.

Momentarily forgetting the situation, Jay sprang up from his hiding place. "Cole!"

"Cole?" Pythor looked from the child to Jay, confusion halting the finger resting upon the trigger. The man shook his head, then aimed the gun at Jay. "I don't know what you're playing at, but-"

Cole ran forward, pushing Pythor back. The man fell, fear coating his eyes, as he searched wildly for his attacker. He moved the gun left and right, "St-stay back. Both of you."

Jay chuckled. " _We_ are."

Lloyd beamed. "But Cole isn't!"

"Cole is _dead,_ " Pythor laughed hysterically. " _I_ killed him."

"Dead, maybe," Cole shrugged, kicking aside a mountain of objects, causing Pythor to jerk back in fear. "But not gone."

"Stay _back_." Pythor hissed. "Or I'll kill your little friends."

Cole stepped closer, moving the objects aside. Pythor's eyes grew wide, looking down, spotting the circle of symbols. His hand tightened on the fang blade. Jay followed his line of sight. "Get the fang blade! That thing on the floor! It'll cause the earthquake!"

"Got it." Cole reached for the fang blade, attempting to tug it away from Pythor's grasp.

The man pulled back, refusing to let go. "I said stay back!"

With a hiss, Pythor fell. The fang blade skidded away. Cole smirked.

"A kid, an idiot cop and a . . . a _ghost_." Pythor raised his weapon again. "Let's even the odds a bit."

"No!" Cole lunged for the weapon, but it was too late. The bullet flew through him, embedding itself into Jay's body. The man crumpled backwards, clutching at the hole upon his chest. Cole roared, kicking the gun away from Pythor's grip.

The glint of fear in Pythor's eyes had gone, replaced by sheer determination. The man stumbled to his feet, running for the fang blade. Lloyd ran forward, jumping onto the man's back, throwing him off balance. Pythor growled, attempting to throw the kid aside.

"You can't defeat me," Pythor said, finally succeeding in throwing Lloyd off. The kid slowly regained his footing, ignoring the dull ache emanating from his head. Pythor ran forward, filled with purpose. Before he could reach the fang blade, however, Cole pushed it further back. Lloyd chuckled. "You're a _kid_. And you, Cole, I've already gotten rid of you once."

"Oh we're not trying to _defeat_ you," Lloyd shook his head, watching as Pythor continued to helplessly chase the fang blade. "We're just trying to keep you busy until the cavalry arrives."

"Good," Jay whimpered softly, clutching at his wound. He leaned back against the wall, slowly sliding into a sitting positon. "I was. . . beginning to think. . . we were on our own."

Once again, the door slammed open, and this time, Garmadon burst inside. "Lloyd, if you don't-"

Within seconds, the chief took in the scene before him. He pulled his gun from the holster at his side, aiming it straight at Pythor's body. The man finally froze, his eyes glowing with hate. " _Pythor?"_

"Always the sound of surprise," Pythor slowly stood, holding up his hands in surrender. "I must admit it never gets old."

"What are you doing here?"

"Trying to. . . end the world," Jay said. "He's the. . . real culprit."

"You? You were behind all of this?" Garmadon narrowed his eyes, aim unwavering.

"It was quite clever, if I do say so myself." The man smirked. "You know, your brother was one of my biggest challenges. I knew he wouldn't go down easy, but a couple of sleeping herbs, well, they do make strangling people easier."

Garmadon's muscles tensed, but he remained calm. "I suggest you stay quiet, unless you want to make things worse for yourself."

"Oh, as if I could do anything to stay away from prison at _this_ point. I can at least gloat at how stupid all of you were," Pythor continued. Garmadon rolled his eyes, stepping forward to lock Pythor's hands into a pair of handcuffs. "I mean, you truly believed Kai was your culprit, simply because _one_ man was poisoned? Ha!"

"Stupid or not, your little games are over." Garmadon shook his head. "And all thanks to-"

"Jay!" Both Lloyd and Cole shouted, their attention snapping back to the bleeding cop.

"Yup," Jay chuckled. "Still here. Help would be appreciated. Soon. . . if . . . that's okay."

"Don't you _dare_ die, you hear me?" Cole growled.

"Of course. . . I hear you." The cop smiled weakly. His eyes shuddered to a close.

"Jay? Open your eyes."

"I'm serious."

"Jay?"


	14. Afterlife

Chapter 14 - Afterlife

Jay opened his eyes.

It took him a couple of minutes to register his surroundings: white sheets, awkward smell, and a rather uncomfortable mattress. Voices echoed briefly in the hall, moving too fast for him to discern any words. Curtains were pulled shut, but he could see slivers of sunlight attempting to sneak inside. He was in a hospital.

Memories blurred around each other, struggling to find their rightful place. Pythor, he'd been the one behind it all. Jay had tried to stop him, but it hadn't gone all that well. He lowered his eyes to where the bullet had hit. There was no blood now, of course, but there was a dull ache pulsing from the wound.

Chief Garmadon. He'd stepped in just in time. Pythor had been captured, and the earthquakes stopped. Kai would most likely be free now, and Nya would be more than ecstatic to hear it. Everything was slowly clicking into place, except. . .

"Cole?"

There was no response.

Jay felt his stomach twist upon itself. Random thoughts blurred in and out of his mind. Jay had found Cole's murderer. The one mystery that had seemed to hold Cole from. . . whatever it was people did when they died. Now there was nothing holding him back. But. . . He wouldn't have gone without saying goodbye, would he?

The empty room around him disagreed.

The room's door burst open, and Nya stepped in, followed by a very disheveled Kai. "You're awake! I came as soon as I could. They _just_ released Kai, and they told me everything and . . . Thank you."

"It's no problem," Jay smiled, slowly moving his body into a sitting position. "All in a day's work."

"I can't _believe_ they actually arrested me." Kai shook his head, then plopped down on one of the plastic chairs. "Me? Kill Cole? He was my best friend."

Kai's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and Jay's did the same. "Well. . . it's over now."

"Yeah, it is." Nya allowed a sigh of relief to slip through her lips. "I still can't quite believe it all."

"Cole was actually right, you know? The earthquakes _were_ bad news." Jay thought back to Pythor's crazed monologue, wondering what exactly had _led_ him to that point. "The guy behind it all wanted to destroy everything. He was . . . pretty insane."

Kai scowled. "Everything? That's a little dramatic."

"Well, I'm glad you managed to get there in time." Nya smiled. "Now we'll get the chance to get to know each other a bit better, huh?"

Jay nodded his head, blushing slightly. "Y-yeah we will. It's cool that the world didn't get destroyed. And that I got to meet you, of course. I mean, I-"

"Oh, I can't _wait_ to know more about you," Kai growled softly, heading to stand beside his sister.

Nya rolled her eyes. "Well, try not to die of boredom while you heal. Lying in bed can't be all that fun."

"Well, actually, after the past couple of days. . . I think I'm just fine with doing absolutely nothing."

"Of course," the girl laughed softly.

"Hello? Guy that spent the night in jail here? I'd very much like a shower. And some decent food too." Kai waved his hand in front of his sister's face. Nya punched his shoulder, her eyes never moving away from Jay's. "Ouch."

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call," Nya said. "Now I have to take this whiny baby home."

" _Whiny?"_ Kai crossed his arms. "Uh, did you skip the part where I went to _jail_?"

After sharing one last smile with Jay, Nya stepped out, followed by her brother. The cop could hear them bickering, until their voices were too far to understand. Jay felt a small sense of satisfaction. Despite everything, he hadn't done a bad job.

The day continued to tick forward. Jay dozed in and out, his eyelids always heavy, his body always tired. He was mildly aware of nurses walking in and out, but there wasn't much to really capture his attention. As the day went on, the longing for his ghostly companion continued to grow.

Later on, Jay received another visitor.

"You're alive!" Lloyd shouted, smile wide. Jay flinched at the sudden sound, then smiled back as he recognized the small kid. Chief Garmadon followed closely behind, features a bit more relaxed than usual. "You're welcome for saving you by the way."

Jay thought back to the shop, remembering the moment Cole's spirit had emerged from within the kid's body. "Thank you. Pythor would have probably won if it hadn't been for you. You're quite the hero."

Lloyd smiled. "You really think so?"

"Yup. Trust me. I was heading nowhere on my own."

The kid beamed.

"Did a pretty good job though. I suppose I may have been a bit wrong about you," Garmadon said. "Now, I don't really understand _how_ you figured it all out, but. . . I can see you're going to be a good addition to the NPD."

Jay's eyes grew wide, and he couldn't help but smile as wide as Lloyd. "I . . . Thank you. Sir. Thank you, sir."

"Don't go thinking you'll _always_ get away with breaking the rules though, understand?"

"Y-yes sir."

"So, did it hurt?" Lloyd asked, staring at Jay's chest.

"Quite a bit, yes," the cop answered. "I barely remember _how_ we got Pythor."

"Well, me and Cole messed around with him until dad got there. It was pretty funny."

Garmadon frowned, looking down at his son. "Cole?"

Lloyd nodded. "He's the one that told me Jay was in trouble. That's why I had to go to the shop."

"Ah. Right."

Ignoring the disbelief in Garmadon's eyes, Jay looked at Lloyd, biting his lip before finally choosing to ask the one thing nagging in the back of his mind. "So . . . Do you know where Cole went after?"

"No." The kid shook his head. "I had to go home. It _was_ way after my bed time, but I know he's okay. Don't worry!"

"Well," Garmadon stepped forward, placing a hand on his son's shoulder, eyes slightly narrowed in confusion. "I'll be looking forward to having you back."

Jay nodded. Lloyd waved. "Bye Jay!"

"Bye."

Once they'd gone, the room felt far more empty than before. Jay shrunk back into the bed, throwing the sheets over his face. The room grew dimmer and dimmer, and the voices outside the room continued to fade until they were almost non-existent.

He should be happy for Cole. Wasn't that the point of it all? Help him, so he'd go on his way. Jay chuckled. So much had changed. He'd grown so used to having Cole there, snarky remarks and all. Without him, Jay would have been a lonely nobody, would have kept his head low at work, only doing enough to simply survive.

But Cole had changed that. Thanks to him, Jay had ended up doing things he wouldn't have otherwise dared to do. Cole had pushed him forward, always supportive, always. . . _There_. He had given Jay one of the best experiences he could've asked for. He'd been his _friend_.

And now he was gone.

Without a goodbye. Without anything. Just. . . Gone. It made Jay's mind begin to wonder. Had Cole even really _cared_?

"Wow. Hospitals are _huge_. And no one's willing to help a ghost out."

Jay's eyes widened, and he threw aside the blanket, jolting into a sitting position. The sudden movement caused a brief wave of pain to travel through him. He flinched. "Ow. . . Cole! It's. . . you're. . . I thought. . . You'd just. . . without. . . You know. . . You're here!"

"Of course I'm here. I wouldn't go anywhere without knowing you're okay." Cole sat on the bed, taking a good look around the room.

"But. . . We solved the case," Jay said. "That was the deal. So I thought you'd. . . gone. Where _were_ you?"

"Well, first I was stuck at the shop. The rain just wouldn't quit. I'd lost Lloyd so, I could do nothing but wait. _Then_ it took me forever to find the hospital. And after _that_ it took me forever to find your room." Cole shook his head. "So I wouldn't be surprised if I'm the last one to show up."

"My parents still haven't shown. Wouldn't surprise me if they're as lost as you. My dad can be pretty stubborn about directions." Jay smiled, "You won't guess who _did_ come to see me though."

"Who?"

"Nya," the cop smirked. " _And_ the chief too."

"The _chief?_ We talking about the same man here? Tall, grumpy, not really one to care for you in particular?"

"Yup. Lloyd too. Speaking of which, what exactly did you _do_? How did you get to the shop?"

"Well," Cole hesitated, almost unwilling to admit he'd robbed Lloyd of control. And he'd _enjoyed_ it, however briefly. "I had a flash of my death again, and I realized it was Pythor behind it all. So I knew I had to get you some help, somehow. So I just. . . Possessed him. I would have rather used Garmadon and not the kid, but Garmadon's mind was too strong."

"Oh," Jay nodded, "So . . . Well, thank you. For saving me. I wasn't doing too good. Would have probably gotten myself killed, and Ninjago destroyed."

"C'mon." The ghost flicked Jay's forehead. "Have a little faith in yourself. You did pretty good. You didn't _have_ to help me. And you did. _And_ you helped other people along the way. So give yourself a pat on the back for once."

"Okay, okay." The cop chuckled. "I did good, but you did help. And thank you for that."

"Teamwork, huh?"

Jay nodded his head, then lowered his eyes. "So. . . It's over. What happens now? To. . . you?"

"Well. . . Back at the shop. When it was all said and done. I felt like, like I could let go? I don't know. I don't know what will happen when I _do_ choose to do so. It's a bit scary, but it feels right." Cole shrugged. "But, I had to make sure you were alright before I did anything."

"Right," _Don't go. Please don't go. I need you._ "I'm . . . glad. I bet the afterlife is fun."

"Who knows," Cole said. "Maybe I'll finally get all of my memories back."

"Maybe." Jay bit his lip, holding the back the tears threatening to spill. He knew he couldn't ask Cole to stay. He knew Cole would, without hesitation, but it wasn't right. Cole didn't belong here. Asking him to stay, knowing Cole would be able to do nothing more than _watch_. . . Jay couldn't do that. "I hope you do."

"I guess we're supposed to say goodbye then, huh?" Cole tried to smile, but found that he couldn't. "That was. . . quite the adventure we had there."

Jay nodded. He didn't trust himself to talk anymore.

"Whatever the afterlife _is_ , I hope we get to meet each other there. Don't go dying too soon though." Cole looked down. "Take care of everyone. Nya, Kai, Lloyd. . . Make sure they're alright, but take care of _you_ too."

"I will." The tight knot in Jay's throat made it hard to talk, causing his voice to shake. "And you better not forget me."

"Of course not," Cole smiled. "And you won't forget me?"

"Never."

With a small nod, Cole stood. "I'll . . . See you later, Jay."

"Later," the cop nodded. "Cole."

Jay shrunk back into the bed, not wanting to see his best friend disappear.

* * *

"Jay!"

Jay's eyes snapped open, slowly focusing on the shape of his mom's face. His eyes felt tired and his mind groggy, but he shook away the feeling, forcing a smile. "Mom!"

"Oh I'm so glad you're okay! I'm sorry we took so long sweetheart. You know how your father is."

"What's that about me, Edna?" Jay looked behind his mom, watching as his dad walked into the room.

" _You_ made us late, Ed. Taking your so called short cut." Edna shook her head. "But we're here now! And you've got a lot of explaining to do young man. How did you manage to get yourself shot at?"

"Lay off the boy a minute, would yah?" Ed shook his head. "He needs rest."

"It's okay," Jay said. "It really doesn't hurt all that much. I'm nowhere near dying or anything."

"I know, sweetie, but I do worry. Maybe you should move back with us. The city is far too crazy." Edna shook her head, running her hand through Jay's hair.

"Your mom does have a point there son." Ed nodded.

"No, I'm _fine_." Jay shook his head.

"Fine? I should say so! You're in a hospital, Jay. That's not fine. You know you're always welcome back home. You could even keep your job. Your dad finally fixed up the car, and you'd be able to drive back and forth."

"Sounds like a good deal to me, no?" Ed smiled. "You wouldn't have to worry about pesky bills or anything of the sort."

Once more, Jay shook his head. He faked a smile, putting on his best mask of positivity. "No, thank you. Seriously, don't worry so much. I think I'll do good here."

The words had been almost automatic. He'd always said things of that manner in order to keep his parents calm, no matter what the truth might be. But this time, the words felt different. He thought of Cole, always believing in him, lending him the hand of friendship Jay hadn't known he so desperately needed. Although the ghost wouldn't accompany him any longer, the memories would never leave him.

His heart then wandered over to Nya, who'd managed to hold herself together with pure determination. He thought of her briefly opening up, and showing Jay her fears. Creating a small bond of trust that he'd hoped would only continue to grow.

He thought of the life ahead of him, truly seeing wonderful possibilities, instead of ideas patched together with hope and positivity. As Jay realized his words were true, he chuckled softly, a sad but content smile remaining upon his lips.

"Yeah, I think I'll do good here."


End file.
